Meine Liebe
by EmpressOfDalmasca
Summary: The path before Anneliese is not easy in the slightest as she finds herself in the crossfire of three conflicting forces: her sadistic father that believes in a superior mutant race, her childhood friend that craves revenge for the murder of his mother, and the professor that takes her under his wing. A side must be chosen in the upcoming war of mutants and humans Erik/OC/Charles
1. Part One: First Class

**A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter has been revised due to the fact that the German in the original version wasn't very good at all seeing as I have only ever studied French. I want to thank everyone who corrected my translations or offered their help, and thank Tessasama for the translations I used for this revision. If there is anything else that needs fixed or if I missed something (It's really late and I'm going cross eyed from exhaustion) please let me know! I'm working on the next chapter seeing as classes finally let out! I've been busy this year with courses that leave no time for my stories unfortunately. I plan on updating as soon as the words flow from my mind so hang tight! :D**

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><p>"Bist du hier, Vater?"(Father, are you in here?) I asked, calling through the door to his office. He had one of his soldiers send for me, instead of coming to get me himself. I could hear his record playing soft music through the heavy wood of the door. I shook my head with a frown, he probably wanted me for something that would end up being totally useless and a waste of time. Last time I had been to his office he had wanted to know how my schooling was going. I sighed, ready for the unwanted father- daughter bonding. Opening the door, I was not expecting what I was about to see. My lips parted in shock at the mess his office was. The normally tidy office was in a disarray. His army green filing cabinets were crushed to the floor, spewing documents everywhere. The bell on his desk was bent impossibly inwards. I followed the path of destruction to the Herr Doctor's "Torture Room". The procedure tables were flung this way and that. Metal saws and instruments were unrecognizable to the scraps of metal they had become. He stood, looking at the remains of the room, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a boy around my age. His slicked back hair was ruffled and his suit jacket was slightly crumpled<p>

"Hier drin, meine Liebe," (In here, my love.) He replied. I noticed the boy was sobbing, which made my heart ache. I went to step into the room, but stopped when my shoe came in contact with something foreign. I gasped in fear at the three bodies on the ground. Two of them were soldiers, their heads smashed in by their helmets that were bent like aluminium foil, faces masked in fear and pain. I felt even more horrid at the third body. It was a woman, one of the camp's prisoner's. Her striped clothing was blotted and soaked in crimson, making my stomach churn. She had been shot in her abdomen, and was most likely the boy's mother. I closed the door as my father slipped something into the boy's hand, patting his back before turning to me. He flashed me a smile, passing me to go and gaze out of his window at the concentration camp below. I glared at him before I knelt down next to the bodies. Both of the soldiers' eyes were clenched tightly shut, blood running down their foreheads, but the woman's eyes were staring blankly off into the distance. I reached over and gently closed her eyes. I said a prayer for her, before standing to look at the boy. He was staring at me, sniffling and desperately trying to hold back his sobs. I felt for him, hating my father even more. This boy's crystal eyes were probably once full of life and mischief, but all that was left were dull blue eyes that seemed empty of hope.

"Hallo, mein Name ist Anneliese. Wie ist deiner?"(Hello, my name is Anneliese. What is your's?)

"Erik." he whimpered. I carefully stepped over to him and took his hand in mine, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Komm, Erik. Du musst hungrig sein," (Come, Erik. You must be hungry.) I gently pulled him from his spot, frozen in the middle of the chaos. I noticed him quiver as he looked at his mother on the floor.

"Mama!" he cried. I pulled him into a hug as he started to cry again. I looked over his shoulder and to my father, saying only one word.

"Untier," (Monster) His eyes grew hard and cold. Dangerous. I grimaced, knowing that I was to be punished.

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><p>"Es tut mir leid, Papa." (I'm sorry Daddy.) I said to my father after two soldiers had come and dragged Erik off. They had come back to clean up the bodies and take them to be disposed of. Father was sitting behind his desk as if nothing had happened and his office was in right order. I looked at my black dress shoes, nervously clicking my heels together. I was scared of what he was going to do to me. But he didn't even acknowledge my apology as he went about examining the destroyed bell.<p>

"Ich habe dich gerufen, weil ich wollte, dass du dich ein wenig mit Erik anfreundest. Gewinn sein Vertrauen. Du brauchst auch einen Freund, oder nicht?" (I called you here, Anneliese, because I want you to befriend little Erik. Gain his trust. You need a friend too, don't you? ) he said, brushing his fingers over the dips in the metal.

I stayed quiet, feeling bile rise in my throat. He took that as an understanding because he waved his hand at me.

"Gut, du kannst gehen," (Good, you may go.)

I turned slowly, moving to walk carefully to the door.

"Und Anneliese," he called to my back.

"Das ist deine einzige Warnung," (This is your only warning.) he threatened. I gulped and nodded, ducking my head as I left the office. I didn't look up at the men I was passing as I headed to my room in the building. It was a plain room, with white walls and a standard bed. I had a small wardrobe and a desk to practice my mathematics and grammar on. It sat in front of a window, which over looked the large fenced in area that the camp's prisoners worked in. It was a constant reminder of what the world had become. Sometimes, I think that Father gave me this room just for that reason. To keep my in my place. I walked over to the glass, looking down at the sea of stripes. I felt tears rush to my eyes. I wish I could take away their pain and suffering, but there was nothing I could do.

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><p>It was another week until I saw Erik again. I was sitting at the desk in my room, working on my grammar, when there was a knock on the door.<p>

"Herein." (Come in.) I called, not looking up from my paper.

"Du hast einen Besucher," (You have a visitor.) Father said as my door opened. I looked over my shoulder at the pair in the open doorway. Father stood straight and tall, a smirk playing at his lips. He had a hand on the boy's shoulder, which were slouching with his head bent.

"Erik." I greeted, smiling as best I could. I stood, pushing in my chair and walking over to him. I ignored my father and took his right hand in mine. "Es ist gut, dich wieder zu sehen." (It's good to see you again.)

He still wouldn't look at me. I frowned and glanced up at my father. He looked at me from the corner of his eyes. He patted Erik's shoulder and spun on his heel, sharply closing the door behind him. I bent down to meet Erik's eyes. He stared at me blankly. I tried smiling at him again, but he didn't even register it.

"Mochten Sie sich setzen?" ( Would you like to sit down?) I asked. He shrugged, so I gently pulled him over to my desk and put my hands on his shoulders, guiding him to sit down. He flinched at the contact and I pulled back.

"Ich gehe nicht, Sie zu verletzen." (I'm not going to hurt you.) I assured him, cautiously sinking down to sit on the bed, facing him. Father would throw a fit if he found out one of his test subjects had been even close to my bed. I folded my hands in my lap, and looked over at him.

"Willst du mein Freund, Erik?" (Will you be my friend, Erik?)

He slowly shifted his shoulders to look at me. "Warum würden Sie wollen, dass ich dein Freund sein?" (Why would you want me to be your friend?)

"Es scheint mir, dass man eine verwenden." (It seems to me, that you could use one.) I told him softly. He sadly nodded in understanding and went back to staring at the floor. It was quiet in the room, as neither of us knew what to say.

"Was ist Ihre Lieblingsfarbe?" (What is your favorite color?) I asked him, trying to soothe the uncomfortable silence.

"Rot." (Red) he mumbled. I nodded.

"Ich mag Blau. Es ist die Farbe des Ozeans." (I like blue. It is the color of the ocean.) I grinned. I saw a small twitch at the corner of his lips. I was finally getting somewhere with him.

"Haben Sie schon einmal auf das Meer gewesen?" (Have you ever been to the ocean?) I asked him.

"Ja. Einmal, als ich klein war. Ich kaum daran erinnern." (Yes. Once, when I was little. I hardly remember it.) he told me, his voice gaining more volume. I reached over and took his hand in mine once again.

"Wenn Sie wieder gehen, was wollen Sie tun?" (When you go back, what do you want to do?)

He shrugged. "Sandburgen bauen." (Build a sandcastle.)

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><p>After that day, Father would bring him for a visit every other day. I could tell that he had started to experiment on Erik by the way he flinched away from my father every time he came close. I also noticed the scars that would peak out of his clothing before he would self consciously tug at his sleeve or pull up his collar. He was open with me, speaking freely and unguarded. We became quick friends and I found myself looking forward to seeing him. One day, Erik hadn't come like he was supposed to. It worried me. Had Father gone too far this time? Was Erik ill from one of the many diseases being passed around the camp?<p>

I took it upon myself to find out and get to the bottom of things. I carefully slid out of my room in the middle of the night, grabbing my dressing gown to put over my night gown, clutching it to my chest. As I scurried down the hallway to my father's office, I couldn't help that my heart would speed up at the mere sound of the wind blowing outside.

"Was machst du?" (What are you doing?) A low and intimidating voice asked from behind me. I shrieked and turned around, relief flooding through me at the person.

"Achim! Du hast mich erschreckt!" (Achim! You scared me!) I gasped as I looked up at my father's assistant. He narrowed his black eyes at me in suspicion. " Ich hatte einen Albtraum und wollte zu Papa," (I had a nightmare and wanted Papa.) I quickly lied. I could tell that he had a feeling that I was up to something because he had seen first hand my relationship with my father. Achim stared at me for a moment, calculating what I might be doing out of bed. I was pretty sure that he was oblivious to my friendship with Erik, so I was hoping that wasn't one of his scenarios. He probably thought I looked like a scared little girl needing her father's comfort, even if they weren't on the best of terms.

"Dein Vater ist beschäftigt. Komm später wieder," (Your father is busy. Come back later.) he said coldly. I crossed my arms, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Zu beschäftigt für seine eigene Tochter?" (Too busy for his own daughter?)

"Geh wieder ins Bett Miss Schmidt." (Go back to bed Miss Schmidt.) He ordered. I glared at him and turned back around, walking to the door. As my hand brushed the brass knob, Achim grabbed my upper arm and tried to pry me away. I shoved him and ripped open the door. The lamp light was on, but the desk was empty, that left only one other option. I spun to look at the room he experimented in. Father was leaning over the table, with Erik lying on it. He was strapped down and weakly struggling to break free. Father was grinning down at him with a scalpel poised in his hand.

"Vater!" I screamed in fear. His head shot up and the blood drained from his face. He threw the scalpel to the side, ripping the gloves from his hands. Two strong arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me up to pull me out of the room. Achim had grabbed me and was holding onto me tightly as I thrashed against him.

"Nein!" I yelled, kicking at him, but he wouldn't let go of me. Father had opened the door that connected to his office and was rushing towards us. Erik's head turned to look at me, tears glazing his eyes. He looked worn and broken.

"Anneliese." he muttered, his eyes trying to stay open, but it was a battle he was quickly losing. He went limp, sending my mind into overdrive. Father had killed him! He had killed Erik! Erik my new friend! I felt myself become hot with anger and my blood felt like it was boiling. My hands seemed to be burning, the dying skin peeling back and becoming charred. My father's eyes were wide and he was...laughing gleefully.

"Bemerkenswert! Meine eigene Tochter!" (Remarkable! My own daughter!) He cried. I heard Achim scream in agony behind me, dropping me carelessly to the floor. I looked back at him, my vision framed in red. Angry welts were forming on his hands and his suit jacket was smoking. My eyes widened and my anger was replaced by confusion. What had just happened? Had I...done that? I looked back at Father, who was grinning. He didn't even spare Achim a second glance as he strode over to me, pulling me into a hug. I went to push against him, but a blinding pain shot up from my hands and to my wrists. He pulled back and caught my arms, looking at my hands. I gazed at them in fear. My flesh was raw and burnt. At some points on my hand, I could see the ivory of my bones peaking through. I felt tears prick my vision and rush over my cheeks.

"Ruhig, meine Liebe." he said, looking down at me. He went back into the room, searching for something. I gazed at Erik, who was breathing deeply. I smiled happily because he was alive. He looked so much younger in his sleep. His forehead wasn't creased in worry and his pink lips weren't in his constant frown. I was pulled out of my musing as my father came back to me.

"Achim, geh und lass deine Verletzungen versorgen," (Achim, go and get your injuries tended to.) He ordered his assistant. Achim didn't say anything, but the look of fear in his eyes was enough. I stared after him as Father took me and sat me down in his desk chair. He knelt on the floor in front of me, gently working on my hands. His lips were still upturned in a smile.

"Du bist nicht allein, meine Kleine. Ich bin wie du," (You are not alone, little one. I am like you.) He said to me, wrapping the long bandage around my burns. In that moment, I forgot how I hated him and all of the horrible things he had done to me. Right now, he was only my father.

"Papa..." I looked down at him, trying to hold back my tears. He reached up and wiped a stray tear from my chin. He stood back up.

"Zeit fürs Bett." (Time for bed.) he told me, going to open the door. I stood up and went to the door, gazing up at him. He leaned over and kissed my forehead. He straightened back up, nodding in the direction of the hallway in a gesture to tell me to leave. I shakily began to walk back to my room, wishing that my father cared enough to tuck me in.

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><p>"Meine Liebe, hier ist jemand hier, um dich zu sehen." (My love, someone is here to see you.) Father said the next day as he came into my room. I was sitting in the middle of my bed, staring blankly down at my bandaged hands. I reluctantly looked up. Erik was looking at me with concerned eyes. He waited until my father left before he came closer to me.<p>

"Bist du in Ordnung?" (Are you alright?) he asked me quietly, standing in front of me. I nodded.

"Es sticht." (It stings.) I told him.

"Was ist passiert?" (What happened?)

"I-ich weiß es nicht." (I-I do not know.) I stuttered, looking up at him. I felt scared. "Ich glaube, ich habe Achim verletzt," (I think I hurt Achim.) I told him. He hesitated before boldly sitting down next to me and wrapping his arms around me. I gasped in shock as he tightly embraced me. Erik was warm and comforting and I felt myself begin to cry against my will.

"Das Feuer. Es kam aus meinen Händen." (The fire. It came from my hands.) I sobbed into his shoulder. He was quiet, but it was a good thing. I didn't need him to say anything. Just holding me was enough. There was a knock on the door and Erik jumped away from me, creating a rather large distance between us. The door opened and Father stepped in, shutting the door behind him. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes, standing up to greet him. He strolled in and over to me, grabbing my arm in his hand. He silently took off the bandage on my right hand, revealing my burnt flesh. Blood that was dried onto the cloth peeled off of my hand somewhat painfully, making me grimace. He tossed the bandage into the wastebasket carelessly.

"Versuch das Feuer noch mal zu machen," (Try to make the fire again.) he ordered. I hesitantly nodded, looking down at my hand. I concentrated hard, staring intently at my palm. I tried to feel that boiling in my blood, but nothing was happening. I looked up and met Erik's eyes. He was nodding at me in encouragement, nervously glancing at Father. I looked back and this time it was different. My blood wasn't boiling, but it felt warm and pleasant. A small flame flickered in my hand, but wasn't painful. It did sting my previous injuries, but it didn't eat away at my flesh. Erik smiled at me, making another rush of warmth to run through me. The flame grew in a burst and Father grinned in satisfaction. He looked at Erik and must have noted something that I hadn't noticed.

"Sehr gut." (Very good.) he chimed, coming to examine my hand. The fire abruptly went out and he fished around in his pocket for something. He brought out another roll of bandages and went to work changing my old ones to fresh.

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><p>"Miss Schmidt, dein Vater wünscht dich zu sehen," (Miss Schmidt, your father wishes to see you.) Achim said through my door one evening. My hands were finally finished healing and I could go back to doing everyday tasks. I sighed and pushed the door open, looking up at him. He was still frightened of me, not being able to look at me at all. I pushed past him, ignoring how he stiffened as I brushed by. I stalked down the hall and back to the office. It was organized once more and Father sat behind his desk. Erik was standing in front of it, glaring at my father.<p>

"Ja, Vater?" I asked as I came into the room. He looked up at me, gesturing for me to come closer. I stepped forward, next to Erik.

"Erik, du kennst das ja bereits. Beweg di Münzen bevor ich bis drei gezählt habe," (Erik, you are familiar with this. Move the coin on the count of three.) He coldly said. I was suddenly looking into the muzzle of a gun. Cold fear rushed down my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Papa?" I asked in confusion.

"Ein." (One.) Father started ruthlessly. Erik panicked and stared at the coin, his palms outstretched towards it. I closed my eyes, feeling the cold metal against my forehead.

"Zwei." (Two) The coin still hadn't moved, making my heart speed up. "Drei." (Three.) I felt the twitch of the gun as my father's finger went to pull the trigger.

"Nein!" Erik shouted and the metal was suddenly not on my skin. I opened one eye carefully, scared to see what had happened. The muzzle of the gun had been bent to the side so that it came nowhere close to me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I fully opened both eyes. I still felt the rush of adrenaline pounding through my body.

"Gut, Erik." (Good, Erik.) Father complimented, setting down the gun with a chuckle. "Ich hätte meine eigene Tochter nicht getötet." (I didn't have to kill my own daughter.)

"Papa?" I tried again, tearing up this time. "Warum?" (Why?) I asked. He waved his hand in dismissal.

"Druckmittel," (Leverge.) Was his simple reply. I bit my lip, gazing down at the blurry floor. "Sie können gehen." (You may go.)

I grabbed Erik's hand in mine and pulled him out of the room. I practically dragged him down the hall and into my room. I harshly slammed the door, angrily kicking it. Erik watched me closely, not knowing what to do.

"Verächtlich!" (Despicable!) I seethed, flopping onto my bed. Erik had stayed silent through the entire ordeal. He went and sat down in my desk chair. The silence was uncomfortable, making me sigh deeply.

"Ich hoffen, dass das alles bald vorbei ist. Dann können wir beide zusammen an den Strand gehen," (I hope that this is all over soon. Then, both of us can go to the beach together.) I said to him, changing the subject. His chuckled quietly.

"Du hörst nie auf mich zu überraschen," (You never cease to amaze me.) He said, shaking his head. I frowned and rolled onto my side to look at him.

"Möchtest du etwa nicht mit mir gehen?" (You do not want to go with me?) I asked slightly hurt.

"Doch, dass will ich," (No, I do.) He assured me. I nodded at him, happy with his answer.

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><p>"Anneliese, beeil dich und pack eine Tasche. Wir gehen im Morgengrauen," (Anneliese, hurry and pack a bag. We are leaving by morning.) Father burst into my room in the middle of the night, looking a mess. I sat up and turned on the lamp on my desk. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, looking at him in confusion.<p>

"Was redest du?" (What are you talking about?) I asked him.

"Wir müssen gehen," (We have to leave.) He said, throwing a suitcase onto my bed, pointing at it. "Beeil dich," (Hurry.) he ordered. I sat up, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I got dressed quickly, quietly packing some clothes and essentials to take with me. As I was shutting the clasps on the suitcase, I remembered Erik. I might not ever get to see him again. I rushed about my room, tearing through my desk drawers until I found what I was looking for. I looked at the pocket sized photo that was of me before I came to Auschwitz with my father. I didn't want Erik to forget me, and this was one thing that I could give to him so that he wouldn't. I went to Father's office, dropping off my suitcase. He was in a fit, going around his office to find anything that he could either burn or take with him. He was too busy to notice as I slipped from his room and found my way to the exit of the building. It had been over two years since I had stepped outside and the cool air felt wonderful. I walked through the camp, keeping to the shadows closely. I saw the men working, so I wondered over to them. They gave me odd looks as I passed by, my eyes searching over their worn faces.

"Anneliese?" Someone called from up ahead. My eyes shot over to where the noise had come from and instantly found the face of Erik. I ran over to him, careful not to knock anyone over.

"Erik!" I gently put both of my hands on his cheeks, cradling his face. "Ich muss gehen," (I am leaving.) I told him.

"Warum?" (Why?) he asked, his bottom lip beginning to quiver. I shook my head.

"Ich weiß nicht, aber ich musste dich sehen. Hier." (I do not know, but I had to see you. Here.) I said and handed him the photo. "Vergiß mich nicht." (Do not forget me.) I told him. He ran his thumb over the picture and looked up at me.

"Ich werde dich nie vergessen. Ich verspreche es," (I will never forget. I promise.) he said, a tear sliding down his cheek. I leaned in and kissed it away. I then moved towards his mouth and quickly pecked his lips, heat rushing to my face. He, too, was turning beet red.

"Vielen Dank, Erik." (Thank you, Erik.) I whispered, pulling back to look at him.

"Anneliese!" I heard my father cry from somewhere close to the camp. With one last look at my friend, I turned and started to run back the way I had come.

"Ich werde kommen und dich finden, Anneliese!" (I will come and find you, Anneliese!) He cried after me. I let myself cry as I got back to my father. He put a hand on my shoulder and hurriedly steered me in the direction of the car we were taking. He opened the door and ushered me inside. He slid in after me, slamming the door. The driver took off and soon the camp was disappearing behind us.

" Wohin gehen wir, Vater?" (Where are we going, Father?) I asked, gazing at the scenery passing by in a blur.

"Nach Argentinien." (To Argentina.)

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><p><strong>Please remember to R&amp;R! : )<strong>


	2. Chapter I

**1962**

The sweet yet sour taste of homemade lemonade rushed over my tongue, cooling my throat. It was a hot summer's day in Argentina, so I had opted to go outside and relax for a while. There was a nice breeze that provided some relief from the blistering heat. I was sitting on a lounge chair by our house's large pool. I had decided to go outside in my swim suit so that if I did decide to swim, it wouldn't be a problem. I was almost finished sketching the Argentinean scenery, and thinking about going in for a dip in the cool water, when there was black smoke an inch from my face and a loud **POP **that echoed in my ears. I jumped in a rather violent manner, accidentally flinging the sketch book across the concrete siding of the pool.

"Azazel!" I shrieked, clutching my heart and glaring up at the red skinned man. His arms were crossed and he was silently smirking down at me. He stared at me with those ice blue eyes that clashed with his bright red skin.

"What's so important that you couldn't use the door?" I exclaimed, waving my arms out above my head. His pointed tail was swishing back and forth behind him in amusement. I rolled my eyes and got up, looking around the ground for my sketches. I groaned when I finally realized that it was in the middle of the pool. All of the pages were scattered about in the water, floating lazily on the rolling waves. Azazel chuckled.

"I should pull on your tail." I grumbled unhappily.

"Your father wants you." he said in his thick Russian accent. I rolled my eyes, sticking a cautious toe into the water. The sun had warmed it slightly, so it wouldn't be unbearable to get into. I crouched down and slid both legs into the water.

"Did he say what for?" I asked, looking at him over my shoulder.

"Nyet." (No.) he said, shaking his head. I shrugged.

"Well, I guess he'll have to wait, won't he?" And with that, I pushed off and into the water, submerging myself. I kicked back up to the surface, grinning up at him. He shook his head.

"Don't make him angry." he warned.

"Live a little, Azazel." I said and reached forward to grab his tail and yank him into the water, but he was gone in smoke. He appeared back at the door that led back inside. He shook his finger at me.

"Come. Now." he ordered and disappeared. I sighed and swam over to my book, fishing out all of the loose pages and doing my best to straighten them. I walked back over to the lounge chair and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around my middle. I looked down at the soggy paper, upset that my only sketch book was ruined. I plopped down on the edge of the chair and started to sort through the sketches, looking for one in particular. I gazed down at it sadly once I had managed to find it among all of the others I had drawn. Two of the most beautiful eyes laughed up at me, the color of lead instead of their actual blue. It was my favorite portrait of Erik that I had drawn. I had sketched this from memory. It was from the time when I had found an old jar of marbles and had convinced Erik to play with me. That was the very first time I had ever heard him laugh. It was a beautiful moment that I still dream about when Father gets into one of his moods. Thinking of Father, I had better go and find him before something terrible happens.

I walked back inside and up the back stairs to my bedroom on the second floor. I shut and lock the door, even though a certain teleporter could drop in whenever he wanted to. I put my sketch book on my dresser, not caring that it might leave a water mark on the wood. I set the portrait of Erik aside, next to the open window with a porcelain cat on top to weigh it down. Drying off and getting dressed in something more suitable, I left my room to find my father in his study. He was looking down at a leather bound almanac that took up the entire length of his desk. Azazel was lounging about by the window, absently fiddling with his knives. Emma sat on the couch, twirling a lock of golden hair around her finger in boredom. The only other person in the room, Riptide, was drinking a glass of scotch as he watched me walk in. There was a certain glint of want in his eyes that made me sneer at him. We had acquired a little family of sorts due to my father recruiting more mutants, for a reason I have yet to find out. Whenever they gathered like this, I would normally be sent out of the room and Azazel would make sure that I couldn't eavesdrop even if I wanted to.

Father looked up as I came in.

"You took your time." he muttered, going back to the map of the continents.

"I was in the pool."

"You didn't even bother to dry your hair." he said, obviously trying to push my buttons. I rolled my eyes and made my hand radiate with heat, moving it around my head to quickened the process of evaporation. He smirked at me once it was nearly dry.

"That's my girl."

"So, what do you need me for?" I asked him, walking over and around his desk to look over his shoulder. He had flipped the page to a map of Turkey. I frowned and looked at the little red dots that had been marked on the paper.

"What's in Turkey?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. He immediately slammed the almanac shut, glaring at me.

"That's none of your concern." he snapped. I flinched and turned to face away from him. "Anyway, I wanted you to know that we are going to our place in Las Vegas. I'm meeting with a...business partner." he told me. I snorted.

"Business partner?" I laughed under my breath.

"Did you say something, Anneliese?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"No, I don't suppose I did." I replied. He raised an eyebrow.

"Bring your swim suit. We're going to the yacht in Miami after the business is over with." He told me, cautiously opening the book again. I nodded curtly, heading back for the door.

"Anneliese..." Father called. "I wonder how little Erik is doing these days."

I froze, clenching my fists at my sides. "I wouldn't know, Papa. You made sure of that." I growled, moving to open the door. I slammed it behind me and stormed out of the house. He really new how to push my buttons, and he did so because he knew I wouldn't do anything. Father will just keep pressing until I either lose it or break. My only way to relieve my stress to is to release steam in the most literal way. I stalked out to the field behind the house that Azazel and Riptide trained in, setting up practice dummies. I began to mercilessly throw balls of fire at them, only seeing my father's face instead of the blank plastic ones.

_"Anneliese!" he called, grinning boyishly at me. He was facing me and held out his hand, palm outstretched for me to take. "Ich werde dich nie vergessen. Ich verspreche es." (I will never forget. I promise.)_

I stopped my assault, dropping to my knees with a scream. I had been fourteen the last time I had seen Erik, that was nearly seventeen years ago. Seventeen long years that left me alone and hopeless of finding him. For all I knew, Erik could have died mere hours before the liberation, and that...that hurt the most. Father had even gone as far as having Emma bring up memories of him, which left me with many sleepless nights.

"So, this is the one called Erik?" my biggest pain called from behind me. I shot to my feet and immediately saw that Riptide was holding a limp piece of paper in his hand. He was examining it, looking less than impressed.

"You were in my room again?" I hissed, going and prying it from his hands. I couldn't get any peace at all around this place. Azazel always had a close eye on me, Riptide trailed after me like a puppy, and Emma was probably in my head at least an hour a day. I pinched the bridge of my nose in aggravation, clenching my eyes shut so that I wouldn't broil Riptide.

"I don't see what is so special about him. From what I've heard, he's probably dead." Riptide said, casually inspecting his fingernails.

"From my father? Do you intend to torment me as well?" I laughed humorlessly.

"Why do you care so much for a ghost?" he asked in jealousy. He reached out and grabbed my arms, forcing me to look at him. I made my skin scalding hot, which resulted in him withdrawing with a yelp. I pushed past him, looking back to point at him.

"He meant more to me then you'll ever know." I growled, running to my room in hopes that Azazel had gone out.

* * *

><p><em>"Papa?" I called, peaking in through the open doorway. The room was in shambles. Everything was tipped over and ransacked. Someone had obviously been looking for something that was important. The record player in the corner was still going, but the needle kept scratching against the record, making it repeat. The same strangled phrase of notes were the only noise in the deathly silence, making me feel uneasy. I fully walked into the room, closing the door.<em>

_"Papa?" I tried again, but I could see nobody was here. I saw a flash of white move in my peripheral vision, making me gulp in fear. I slowly turned until I was facing the glass wall where I could see into the next room. The sickly green walls were yellowing with decay and mold, and the lighting above was flickering eerily. _

_"Papa?" I muttered, hoping that he was in here. There was a single rusting autopsy table with a body laying motionlessly on it. The corpse was covered in a dirty white sheet that had splotches of brown all over the cloth. I took a step towards the room, hoping that the person lying under the cloth wasn't someone special. One shaking foot after the other brought me closer and closer to the door. I reached forward and grabbed the handle, turning it to push open the door. I wrinkled my nose in disgust at the grime the handle left behind on my palm. I wiped my hand on my skirt as I stepped inside. My hands were clammy as I approached the table. Cautiously, I reached out and took a handful of the fabric in my grasp. After a deep breath, I threw back the sheet. Two blue eyes stared up at me. His once rosy cheeks were void of color and his skin was a chalky white._

_"Erik!" I cried, touching his shoulder to shake it. "Erik!" I tried to get him to blink. To move. To do anything, but nothing happened. The lights suddenly blew and I was in total darkness. Then, a stream of sunlight came in through the dusty window from the office. I reached over to grab Erik's cold hand, but it was warm and much larger. I looked down and screamed as Father sat up from the table and wrapped his hand firmly around my neck._

_"_Nein!" I screamed, waking with a start. My legs were twisted almost painfully in my cool sheets. I was gasping for breath, sweat pricking my brow. I sat up and reached over to turn on my lamp. Light flooded into my room, slightly comforting me. I ran a hand over my face, wiping away the sweat that soaked into my hair. I looked at my small alarm clock. 2:00 a.m. That's just what I needed right now.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in Switzerland 7:00 a.m.<strong>

He lay on the bed in his hotel room, propped up comfortably against the wooden headboard. Water dripped from his freshly washed hair, running down his neck in tiny rivers. A fluffy white bathrobe covered his naked body. The warm morning sunlight flooded in through the open drapes, giving the walls a bright glow. A small silver coin was weaving through the spaces between his fingers effortlessly, never touching his skin. His eyes were trained intently on a makeshift map that was nailed into the dry wall. Photos were pasted all over it, with tiny red threads connecting all of the sights of the people he had murdered. Two in particular were untouched, but both of them had different places on the collage. One of them was a crude drawing of an older man with slicked back hair, glasses, and a tweed suit jacket. It was centered in the middle with no leads attached to it at all. The second was a worn and faded photo of a young girl with chocolate brown hair and bright sapphire eyes. It was in a tiny frame that was made especially for this certain photo. He found himself staring at the little girl.

_"Hallo, mein Name ist Anneliese." (Hello, my name is Anneliese.)_

_" Ich mag Blau. Es ist die Farbe des Ozeans." (I like blue. It is the color of the ocean.)_

"_Erik!"_

_"Vergiß mich nicht." (Do not forget me.)"_

Images of her kind face flashed in his mind as memories seeped into his consciousness. Memories that he kept locked away until it was night and they broke free in his dreams.

"Ich werde dich nie vergessen. Ich verspreche es." (I will never forget. I promise.) he whispered to the picture that was on the wall across from him. His gaze hardened as it shifted to the sketch of the man. Hatred for this man overtook him and he moved the coin and flicked it across the room. There was a metallic ring before it hit the map with a thunk, lodging itself deeply into the drawing's forehead. It was time to plan his next move.

* * *

><p><strong>Anneliese POV<strong>

The stuffy club smelled thickly of smoke and men's cologne, creating a haze in the air around me. Even in the privacy of our lounge, the smell from outside seemed to follow you wherever you went, clinging to your clothes. I was busy at the bar, fixing myself a martini. Father was sitting with his legs lazily crossed on one of the long white couches. His arms were stretched over the back of the furniture, fingers quietly tapping against the upholstery. Emma was cuddled up against his left side, toying playfully with the collar of his shirt. I was standing next to Riptide, who was watching my every move. Azazel had disappeared hours ago to somewhere unknown.

I dropped an olive into the clear liquid and leaned back against the bar, taking a tiny sip. Riptide's staring was getting on my nerves. "What?" I asked, glaring at him from the corner of my eyes. He smirked at me, gesturing at my torso. I was wearing a dress that was tighter and showed more cleavage than was normal for me. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I must say that I like this look for you." he grinned. I scoffed and took a larger gulp of alcohol.

"Don't get used to it." I told him.

"Anneliese, come here." My father instructed from his spot on the couch. I sighed and left Riptide to stare after me in longing as I reluctantly went and sat down next to him. I crossed my legs and skimmed my finger around the rim of the glass. He wrapped his right arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him. I looked over at him and he smiled, rubbing his hand against my bare shoulder. Emma frowned and glowered over at me, angry that I had taken the attention off of her.

_Take that, bitch. _I though smugly, grinning into my glass as I took another drink. She scowled and got up, making sure that my father's fingers brushed against her as she stood.

"He's here." she told him. He nodded and waved towards the door.

"Why don't you go great our guest?" he suggested. His eyes trailed after her sashaying hips as she left the room, making me want to gag. I drained my glass and went back to the bar to pour myself another. As I was putting the vodka away, Emma returned through the secret entrance with a balding man in a high ranking military uniform. I narrowed my eyes at him. Why would Father invite a colonel to visit?

"Ah, Colonel Hendry. So, glad you made it." Father said, getting up to go and firmly shake the man's hand.

"Yes. I was hoping that we could get straight to business. I'm pressed for time." he told him. Father nodded.

"Of course." he said and gestured to the couch for him to sit. "Anneliese, would you mind getting my cigars?" he asked me, obviously trying to get me out of the room. I nodded obediently, giving my drink to Riptide. He smirked at me as he took a sip from where I had left a bright red lipstick stain. I left the room through the secret door to the office outside. I made sure not to fully close the door/bookcase so that I could overhear the conversation. I was in luck that Azazel was M.I.A, or I would be up to my head in trouble. I heard a soft gasp, making me turn to look behind me. There was a girl from the club, wearing lacy black undergarments.

"Are you lost?" I asked her, crossing my arms. She was frozen with her hazel eyes wide in fear. "Well?"

She nodded frantically and I sighed. "Stay put. I'll deal with you later." I went to the desk and snatched the box of cigars and went back to look through the crack in the door.

"I want you to reconsider putting those missiles in Turkey." Father was saying to the Colonel. I gasped. Was he trying to start WWIII? Was this part of the plotting he had been keeping from me?

The man paused a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

"The only thing I will reconsider is having another glass of that champagne." he responded, going to stand.

"Anneliese!" Father called over his shoulder, meaning that the conversation was over and that I could come back in. I jumped, glad that the tone of his voice held no accusation.

"Go before one of the others find you." I said to the frightened girl. I slid back into the room, strolling over to him and gave him the box. He took it from me and looked over to Riptide, moving his index finger to signal him. Riptide placed my old glass on the bar, his eyes holding intense concentration. His hand began to absently move in gentle circles. A whirlwind began to grow in his hand as he used his power. When it was too large to hold in his palm anymore, he let it descend onto the floor and move across the room towards the Colonel, doubling in size rapidly.

"What the hell did you put in my drink?" the baffled Colonel muttered. It rammed into him, sending him flying across the room. He landed in a heap on the ground, groaning as he sat up. Father stood up, Emma following closely behind him. He had selected a cigar and was rolling it between his fingers. I could see the frightened look Hendry was giving Emma as she infiltrated his thoughts. Father nodded at her and she took on her diamond form. Her skin sparkled in the light, mesmerizing him.

"Beautiful isn't she?" Father asked him, giving Emma an adoring look. "Anneliese." He held up his cigar expectantly, so I walked over, a tiny flame dancing on my index finger. I lit his cigar and he raised it to his lips. He puffed a mouthful of smoke out.

"Where's Azazel?" he asked. Emma rolled her eyes and whistled, making an airy sound that was shrill. It took only a second before he appeared next to us. She nodded at the man on the ground and he turned to look at him. Realization crossed his face and he extended his arm down towards Hendry. The colonel look at him in caution, which Azazel reassured him. Hendry hesitantly took his hand and they were gone.

"Now that that's over with..." Father sighed, taking another drag. "We should be getting ready for Miami." he said to us. Emma changed back, smiling at him.

* * *

><p>The waves sloshed against the side of the yacht, spraying a fine mist up over the rail and onto the deck. I was the only one up on the deck at the moment and I was reveling in the solitude. It had been four long days since we were in Las Vegas, and it gave me plenty of time to think about what I had heard. I was extra careful to watch my thoughts around Emma, making sure that I didn't act any different from my usual. I had finally come to the conclusion that my father had finally lost all that was left of his mind. I knew that he thought mutants were superior to humans, and that they were going to become a dying breed, but this was taking it a step too far. I had to stop him, but I was stumped on how to go about doing that. I admit that I feared him and what he could do to me, so I couldn't do it alone.<p>

"Do what alone?" an overly sweet voice asked, accompanied by three pairs of footsteps. I groaned and turned around to look at Father and his posse.

"Swim." I deadpanned, hoping that it would satisfy her. She shrugged and sat down, placing a pair of designer sunglasses over her eyes. She was wearing a white bikini. All three of them were wearing white. Father in a white suit and Riptide in white shorts and button down shirt. I felt somewhat out of place in my white and navy blue striped swimsuit.

"Riptide could always go with you, meine Liebe." Father suggested as he poured himself a glass of scotch.

"Perhaps later." I said, gazing back out into the water. The sun was the only good thing right now, with its rays warming my skin. There was another, louder pair of footsteps that came up the stairs and boarded.

"Colonel, you still like champagne?" Father greeted jokingly. I turned and watched as Hendry sat his hat on the bar.

"No, that's not what I'm here for. Why don't you just give me my money and I'll be going." He demanded. My father's smile fell dangerously and he glanced over at Riptide, who went to step forward, but the Colonel was already moving. He was holding a grenade in his shaking hands.

"I anticipated that. I'll pull it." he threatened, fingering the pin. Father just smirked.

"You won't." he laughed as he advanced on Hendry. "But I will." he grabbed the grenade and pulled the pin, much to the colonel's shock. It detonated and there was an explosion, but none of us were consumed by the fire. It was swirling around my father, slowly being absorbed into him. He made a pleased sigh as he took in the human's contorted features.

"Y-you're one of them." he accused.

"And that's not the best part. It's what I can to with it once I've got it." Father said, reaching out and tapping Hendry's chest. The man didn't even have time to register what was happening as the energy ate at him, leaving empty air in his wake. I felt a rush of nausea and I found myself fleeing from the deck and high tailing it to the nearest bathroom on the yacht.

* * *

><p>By the time I had worked up the courage to even look at the others, it was dark outside and the stars were twinkling down and reflecting on the black water.<p>

"How are you feeling?" Father asked, his face hard.

"I'm fine. It was sea sickness." I defended. He was obviously pleased by my answer because his features softened slightly. Riptide sauntered over and handed me a margarita.

"Thank you." I sighed gratefully. He smiled and me and steered me in the direction of the railing.

"You look like you could use it." he said, propping his elbows against the cool metal. "We never got to go swimming."

I sighed, shaking my head. "There's always tomorrow. Just promise you'll keep your hands to yourself."

He chuckled and reached out, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I swatted him away in annoyance. "I mean it." I warned.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" I asked him as I looked out over the ocean, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah." he said as he gazed down at the water.

"Herr Doctor..." an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind us. Today sure was becoming interesting with two people seeking us out. I looked behind me at a tall, handsome man in a black wet suit that was dripping water all over the wood. Father and Emma got up in a hurry, ready to take any necessary measures if they were to be attacked. I walked closer, my brow furrowed in confusion. Riptide kept a hand on my shoulder protectively as he followed me. This stranger had a muscular physique, with a strong jaw and dark hair. There was something about him that I recognized from somewhere, but I couldn't place my finger on it. It seemed as if Father knew him, though, for a grin was growing on his lips.

"Erik Lensherr." he said fondly. In that moment, I looked at the man's eyes. Blue. They were crystal blue. My drink slid from my fingers and shattered as it made contact with the deck. I felt the icy cold liquid pool around my bare toes. My hands shot up to my lips to cover my gasp.

"Erik!" I muttered, drawing his attention. Those eyes I knew so well met mine and widened, his lips parting.

"Anneliese." he breathed.

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><p><strong>Thanks to all my reviewers! You're all wonderful and made me really happy. Special thanks to Tessasama for correcting some of my translations from the first chapter that weren't right. Please R&amp;R!<strong>


	3. Chapter II

It seemed as if Father knew him, though, for a grin was growing on his lips.

"Erik Lensherr." he said fondly. In that moment, I looked at the man's eyes. Blue. They were crystal blue. My drink slid from my fingers and shattered as it made contact with the deck. I felt the icy cold liquid pool around my bare toes. My hands shot up to my lips to cover my gasp.

"Erik!" I muttered, drawing his attention. Those eyes I knew so well met mine and widened, his lips parting.

"Anneliese." he breathed. I felt a fluttering in my stomach as I looked at him for the first time in seventeen years. He had changed so much. He was no longer the small boy that I had played marbles with. Before me stood a handsome man that was strong and determined. His blue eyes held a fire for vengeance, and were so powerful that it made my stomach do somersaults.

He took a decisive step towards me, but fate had a way of playing with us.

"He's here to kill you." Emma growled, her eyes narrowed. Erik's gaze flickered towards her before he crumpled onto the deck with a pained shout. He grasped his head in his hands in agony.

"Stop it!" I shrieked, starting to rush forward to help him. Riptide had a different idea as he grabbed me around the waist and wrapped an arm under mine so that I couldn't hit him. "Riptide let go of me!" I thrashed in his grasp, violently kicking at him, but it didn't do anything.

"Janos, please!" I pleaded, using his human name. "Don't make me hurt you!" His grip slackened, but he bravely kept me close to his chest. I watched as Erik desperately took a knife that he had hidden on his body and flung it at my father. Emma reverted to her diamond form, catching the blade an inch from his face.

"Is that any way to greet me after all these years?" Father sneered. Erik stood, but Emma rushed forward and firmly kicked him in the sternum. I struggled against Riptide as Erik was thrown over board. Riptide let me go as Father stalked over to me, forcefully gripping my chin until it hurt. I winced as he stared at me angrily.

"Your place is here." he hissed as he smacked me hard enough that my face whipped to the side. I reached up and gingerly ran my fingers over my stinging cheek. It would probably bruise come morning.

"Anne..." Riptide trailed off sadly once my father had strolled back over to Emma. I glared at him.

"Don't talk to me." I spit out, looking into his dark brown eyes. They were full of guilt and caring, but I could tell that he believed he had done the right thing. I shook my head, opening my mouth to tell him how much I now hated him, when I was suddenly blinded.

"Do not try to move your vessel. We have you surrounded!" Was the loud shout that came from the direction of the overwhelming light. My father chuckled, clapping his hands together in glee. I watched in shock as four motorboats were speeding our way, an enormous U.S. Coast Guard ship behind them. Riptide had stepped forward and sent a whirlwind their way. With a flick of his fingers they rammed into the boats. There were panicked shouts as they were tipped over and were flung into the cold water. Father then nodded at him, signaling for him to go down and ready our submarine. With one last glance at me, Riptide stalked off.

It was then that I felt like something was looming over me. A drop of water landed on my bare shoulder. I wiped it off, nervously looking up and over my shoulder. I held in a gasp as our yacht's anchor was suspended up in the air, raining sea water down on us. I gulped, moving away from it slowly.

"Get to the sub!" Father shouted at me, motioning for me to go, but it was too late. The iron chain slammed down onto the deck, splintering the wood. The force of it sent me flying into the rail. I grasped it desperately so that I wouldn't be flung over the edge. I turned in time to see my father and Emma flee down the stairs on their way to making their escape as the chain began to move again, cutting through the upper structure and destroying the entire first floor and deck of the yacht. The last thing I saw, was a thick plank of wood swinging towards me through the air. Then, everything faded to black.

* * *

><p>I must be dead. There is no other explanation for why I am floating in utter nothingness. I can't see, hear, smell, or feel anything at all, but there is the faint copper taste of blood on my tongue. My limbs are completely numb and useless. I want to cry, but I can't even manage that. How can everything be over just like that? Why does fate have to be so cruel as to yank me away as soon as we have found each other?<p>

_Anneliese..._

I wish that I had been able to say anything to him, to reach out and touch his cheek, just so that I could hold onto him in my passing.

_Anneliese, can you hear me?_

That is strange. Something is firmly pressing down on my chest repeatedly, followed by air being pushed into my lungs.

_Anneliese, I need for you to try and answer me._

Erik? Janos? Father? Who am I hearing? Never mind, I must be imagining it. I'm dead, so none of them would be reaching out and speaking to me.

_Don't be ridiculous, you are most certainly not dead. _

I started to steadily feel the pressure above my heart become more firm. There was a horrible pain in my throat, as well as stinging in my lungs. My head began to pound and my entire body ached. I began to retch as a lukewarm liquid forced itself up my trachea. Violent coughs overtook me as my body rolled to the side. My hands pressed against something smooth and chilled as I spit out a mouthful of salty water. There was a warm presence on my shoulder, which gently forced me to lay once again on my back. My lungs continued to convulse painfully, trying to get every drop of water out of them.

_You're going to be alright. _

There was that voice again. It was warm and comforting, relaxing my mind. I pried my eyes open, my vision blurred. I blinked repeatedly to bring the dull blobs into focus. Someone was leaning over me, stroking my wet hair back from my face. This someone was a man with brown hair and the most vivid baby blues I had ever seen. His lips were pulled back in a relieved smile as I gazed up at him.

"Where am I?" I croaked, wincing at my raw throat.

"Aboard a U.S. Coast Guard ship. How are you feeling? You took a rather nasty knock to the head." he said. I sat up hesitantly, groaning as the throbbing in my body worsened. He instantly frowned and tried to usher me back to lying down.

"No." I told him firmly, holding up my hand. "Where is he? Where's Erik?" I demanded, closing my eyes tightly. He didn't answer me, instead deciding to grasp my arm gently and haul me up. His hands caught me as I stumbled over my awkward feet. He stopped me, running his eyes over me from head to toe. His gaze was intense, making me blush uncomfortably.

"You must be cold." he muttered. He turned around and it was then that I noticed the group of people circled around us. All of them were looking at us, both sopping wet and shivering. One of them stepped forward and handed this strange man a black wool blanket, which he wrapped around my shoulders. He pulled it snugly against me, concentrating solely on the task at hand. Drops of water were dripping from his hair and rolling down his forehead, catching on the end of his nose.

"There we are. Now-" he murmured, flashing me a grin. He carefully turned me around to face the people boring holes into my back. I warily scanned over their curious faces, noting that there was a beautiful blonde woman calculating me with her stare. My eyes swept over each face, briefly stopping over each. None seemed familiar, but my gaze caught on one face. It wasn't immediately registered, but as my mind processed slowly what I was seeing, my eyes shot back to this particular person. He was also bundled in a blanket and soaked with sea water. He looked joyful and eager as I looked at him, his face softening.

"Erik?" I questioned, not quite sure if he was really there. I took a hesitant step forward, followed by another. He met me halfway, stopping a foot away from me. My hand reached out on its own accord, gently touching his forehead. He let out a shaky breath as his eyes flickered shut. My fingers slid down his straight nose, ghosting over his lips and chin.

"You're really here." I said in disbelief, but it came out as a question. My heart was pounding against my ribs and I was overwhelmed by fear. I didn't know what I would do if this was just another dream.

He opened his eyes. The next thing I know, his strong arms were protectively around me and firmly pressing me against his chest. I reacted instantly, throwing my arms around his neck. A chocked sob of relief slipped from me, tears of happiness pricking my eyes.

"I'm here." He confirmed, resting his cheek on top of my head. He pulled back to look down at me, chuckling tearfully. "I promised, didn't I?"

I pulled his head down to rest our foreheads together, holding his face between my hands. I startled as another hand was placed on my shoulder, breaking my trance. I back away from Erik to look behind me at the man who had helped me. He held his hand out to me, so I took it in mine and shook it.

"Charles Xavier. I'm sorry to be the one to interrupt your reunion, but there are some matters that we need to discuss." he said, stepping back. "Perhaps after we have dried off, we can meet below deck?" he suggested. I looked to Erik for reassurance, who nodded at me.

"Alright." I murmured. The only other woman on board pushed through the crowd and gestured for me to follow her. I padded barefoot after her down the stairs and to a private cabin. She went straight over to the closet in the room, rummaging through it. She pulled out a black sweater and a pair of men's slacks.

"I'm sorry if this doesn't suit you, but it's all we have." she muttered, looking it over.

"It doesn't matter to me." I told her as the clothes were handed over to me.

"I'm glad. I'm Moira Mactaggert." She introduced.

"Anneliese." I replied, not wanting to tell her my last name just in case. She nodded at me.

"I'll wait outside while you change. Just knock when you're done and we can go meet the professor." she instructed, leaving soon after. I used the blanket to dry off and then slid into the baggy clothes. I winced at the fact that I had nothing to use for under garments. I threw my swim suit into the trash bin. I ran my fingers through my knotted hair as I went and rapped twice on the door. Moira silently lead me through the tight hallways and to another door, opening it and pushing me in. The blonde girl from earlier was sitting in an armchair while Charles and Erik were sitting across from each other on two couches. Both stood up as the two of us walked in, Erik smiling softly at me.

"Ah, much better. Please, join us." Charles gestured to the seat next to Erik. He beamed at me. I went over to them, sinking down onto the couch. They sat after me, Charles clearing his throat.

"You are feeling better?"

I nodded at him. "Yes, thank you."

"That's good to hear."

"You were the voice in my head." I said suddenly. "You knew my name and I don't remember telling it to you."

"Indeed, Anneliese. I'm like you and Erik. A mutant with the gift of telepathy." he confirmed with a mischievous grin. The blonde coughed, pulling his attention over to her. "Pardon my ill manners. This is Raven Darkholme, a close friend of mine. She also has talents." He introduced. I smiled over at her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

She smiled sweetly at me. "You too."

I turned back to Charles. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" I asked him.

"Back on track." he laughed. "As you may already know, Shaw is planning the third World War. It is in everyone's best interest to stop him."

I frowned because I had my suspicions, but I truly hadn't known what Father was up to until now.

"We were wondering if you would join us and stop the upcoming nuclear war." Charles said to us. "You don't need to make up your minds now, but why don't both of you come back with us to Washington D.C.?"

"I don't know about Erik, but I don't have anything to think about." I stated, glancing over at the man sitting beside me. Charles was now on the edge of his seat stiffly.

"I know it may be hard to swallow given-" he began.

"I want to help." I interrupted him before he could mention my father. He relaxed, a broad grin pulling over his lips.

"Splendid. Absolutely splendid."

"Erik?" I questioned, turning to him.

"I'll go and make up my mind there." he told me, taking my hand in his. He squeezed it lightly. I covered my mouth with my free hand as I yawned.

"We'll take a jet tomorrow. Both of you should get some rest." Charles said.

* * *

><p>The rest of the night was a flurry. We had sailed back to the Coast Guard base and were given sleeping quarters for the night. I restlessly tossed and turned in my bed, unable to sleep from the day's events. I lay on my back, staring tiredly at the ceiling. I wanted to know if Erik was awake, and if I could talk to him. With a sigh, I threw off the scratchy covers and left the dark room. I found myself walking the route that we went when we were assigned rooms. I remember only Erik's, coming to a stop in front of it. I stood there, rethinking if I should knock or not. I shuffled from foot to foot, hoping that he wasn't asleep.<p>

"Come in, Anneliese." he called through the door. I jumped at the suddenness of his voice, but shakily turned the door knob and entered the room. He was gazing out the window silently.

"You couldn't sleep either?" he asked. I went over to him, embracing him from behind. My head rested between his strong shoulders, my arms around his waist.

"Not when I know you're finally here with me." My voice was muffled by his cotton shirt. He laid his hands on top of mine, his thumbs stroking my skin.

"Your favorite color is still blue?" he asked.

"Mmmhmm. Your's is still red?"

"Yes." was his chuckled reply. Both of us were quiet, but it was a welcome silence. The two of us were too content just being together to even care about talking.

"Can I stay here with you?" I asked meekly. He turned in my arms and placed a kiss on my head. Erik didn't answer, instead just pulling me over to the bed. He slid under the covers and held them up for me to crawl in as well. I snuggled up against him happily, falling into the first nightmare free sleep that I had had in years.

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><p><strong>Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I just couldn't resist! Next chapter, is meeting Dr. Hank McCoy!<strong>


	4. Chapter III

**Hey**,** sorry I haven't updated in a while. My life's been pretty chaotic and I had a bad case of writer's block, but I'm back! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The next morning, I awoke to sunlight streaming onto my face through the window. I blinked against the harsh glare, groaning as I rolled over. I expected to smack into Erik, but I rolled onto the cool sheets where he had slept. My brow furrowed as I opened my eyes to the other empty side of the bed. I sighed, sitting up to stretch. There was a knock on the door, which made me freeze. It opened anyway to Raven. She was holding a brown paper bag in her arms, and was smiling brightly at me.<p>

"Charles said you might be here." she chirped, shutting the door softly behind her. "I noticed last night that you obviously don't have any clothes with you, so I have some of mine. We look about the same size. I just thought you might want something to wear that wasn't...well..." she trailed off, meaning what I was given to wear last night.

"That's very kind of you. Thank you very much." I replied, smiling kindly at her. She walked over to me, setting the bag on the bed and rummaging through it. She pulled out a pink and white dress with long sleeves and a skirt that stopped mid thigh. She grabbed a pair of matching hot pink go go boots and placed them on the covers.

"Are these okay?" she asked, obviously wondering if it was too flashy.

"Yes. I'm used to wearing very bright clothes." I chuckled looking down at what I was going to wear. She beamed at me.

"Good. Charles said we can get you more clothes once we are back in Washington." she told me, before going to the door. "We're taking a private jet once everyone is ready, so we'll be leaving soon."

And with that, she was gone. I went to work getting ready for the day. I put on the dress, which fit me almost perfectly, and pulled on the boots. I was extremely grateful that she had included undergarments as well. She had included in the bag a pink headband, which was a nice accessory. I reached up above me, stretching my muscles so that they were loose and working. I thought briefly about making the bed, but decided against it, the others were waiting for me. As I opened the door, Raven quickly scanned me over, grinning broadly.

"I was right, we are the same size!" she beamed. "And the color looks great on you! I could never really wear pink well, but it seems you can." she laughed.

"Thanks." I smiled. "I'm just glad there's another girl to talk to."

"I know what you mean. I've been stuck with Charles for a while now." She hooked our arms together and led me through the halls. We met up with the others, who were chatting idly. Charles instantly turned, beaming as he looked at us.

"There you are. Ready to go?" he asked. He was impeccably dressed in a dark gray blazer and slacks with a navy blue waistcoat underneath. I felt somewhat silly next to him, wearing the exact opposite of everyone else.

"Of course." I smiled, nodding at him. Raven and I followed everyone out to where the jet was, boarding as quickly as possible. I gulped nervously, calculating the flight time in my head. I collapsed into the seat next to Erik, who was smirking to himself.

"Not a frequent flyer?"

I shot him a stony glare. He raised his hands in defense as I settled back and closed my eyes tightly. Somewhere along the way I must have fallen asleep, for I woke to someone lightly shaking my shoulder.

"We're here." Erik murmured. I blinked, unbuckling my safety belt and stretching before I stood. I reached over and slid my hand into his, waiting for his reaction. I breathed a sigh of relief as his hand tightened around mine, not letting it slip from his grasp like I had expected. He glanced at me briefly before he tugged on my arm and urged me to follow him off of the plane. There was a black car waiting for us, a man in a black suit and glasses standing by it. He eagerly came to greet us.

"More mutants!" he said giddily, taking my other hand in his and nearly popping my arm out of its socket as he shook my hand. He didn't even bother with Erik since my friend was giving him the evil eye.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you! I'm Agent Black. And you are?" he asked my name.

"Anneliese, and the pleasure is all mine." I said sweetly, using my charm. I winked at Erik and left him, walking next to Agent Black. He lead us towards the car, where Charles and Raven slid in on the right side. Agent Black kindly opened the other door for me and I looked in. I could instantly tell it was going to be a tight squeeze since it hadn't been intended to bring along two extra mutants. I smirked, turning to Erik.

"I could always sit on you." I joked. I swear I saw him roll his eyes behind the sunglasses he had slid on.

"Just get in the car." he said. I shrugged and sat next to Raven, apologizing as I was squished into her as Erik crammed himself in. It was a very uncomfortable ride for the four of us, and it didn't get any better as Moira and Agent Black talked animatedly to each other. Just as I was about ready to loose my control and throw myself out of the window, we pulled up in front of a large concrete building. Moira cut off the engine and Erik and Charles immediately threw open the doors and we spilled out. I breathed in the fresh air, glad to be out of the stuffy car. I stalked around it, gazing up at the building.

"Welcome to my facility." Agent Black said. He started to walk toward the doors, bringing us to his building. "My mission has been to investigate the application of paranormal powers in military defense."

"Or offense." Erik cut in.

"This guy Shaw, Schmidt, whatever you want to call him, he's working with the Russians." Black replied. I looked down at the ground in shame, guilty of not telling the rest of them about my father. I felt a hand on my shoulder, so I looked up. Charles was smiling reassuringly at me. I had forgotten that he could read minds and knew my secret. I couldn't look into his understanding eyes, so I turned my attention back to the conversation.

"We might need your help to stop him." Black finished.

"Marvelous." Charles said, a slight frown in his voice. "So we're to be the CIA's new mutant division, yes?"

"Something like that." Black led us through the clean CIA building, passing people who were dressed in suits as well. I received many strange looks from people as they eyed my bright clothing. I sighed as another man looked me up and down in interest. Black halted in front of a set of large double doors, throwing them open for us to go through. It seemed like some sort of lab with a model of a plane hanging from the high ceiling. I looked up at it in wonder, which seemed to be what the others were doing as well. Metal rails divided the lab, keeping us out of where I could see the beakers and test tubes filled with chemicals were kept. Lamps lit some of the experiments, and the tables were littered with papers and microscopes.

"It's a supersonic. The most advanced plane ever built." a timid voice said from somewhere in the lab. I looked over as a young man stepped around a rail, gazing proudly up at the model. He had well groomed brown hair, with glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. His crisp lab coat was pulled on over top of a dark brown sweater vest and tie, his slacks a light beige. I cocked my head to the side in confusion. He looked far to young to be a scientist, let alone work for the CIA.

"You should see it in real life. It's incredible." he went on, coming to meet us.

"Hank, these are the special new recruits I was telling you about." Black cheerfully introduced, gesturing at us. "This is Hank McCoy, one of our most talented young researchers."

I glanced at Charles as a broad grin made its way across his face. He quickly stepped over to Hank, his hand outstretched to shake. "How wonderful. Another mutant, already here."

Hank's face fell, his eyes holding shock and fear as Charles turned to look back at us and looked at Black. "Why didn't you say?" he asked the man.

"Say what?" Black obviously was clueless. Hank was shuffling nervously, looking very unhappy. Charles sighs to himself, looking rather regretful.

"Because you don't know." He faced Hank again, who couldn't look him directly in the eye. "I am so, so terribly sorry." Charles apologized. Hank shook it off, his face contorted even though he was fighting to hide it. Something clicked in Agent Black's brain, and he went to Hank in question.

"Hank?"

"You didn't ask, so I didn't tell." the boy muttered.

"So, your mutation is what?" Raven called curiously, leaving our group to walk over to him. "You're super smart?"

"I'll say." Charles said, filling us in. "Hank here graduated Harvard at the age of 15."

"Wow." I gasped under my breath. I noted the look Hank was giving Raven, making me smile to myself. It was kind of cute in my eyes. I chuckled quietly, finding it amusing. Erik raised a brow at me. I ignored him, turning back to the others.

"I wish that's all it was." Hank meekly stated.

"You're among friends now, Hank. You can show off." Charles smirked. I watched as he nodded, leaning over to slip off his shoes and pull of his socks. Hank's feet were more apelike than human, showing us his mutation. Charles looked at Hank, happy to find another mutant with such amazing gifts.

"Splendid." he mused. Hank maneuvered his way around Charles, softly apologizing. He had a small smile tugging at his lips as he stopped below the model plane. Within the next moment, he did a flip, grabbing onto the front of the craft with his feet. I laughed, amazed at his gift.

"Ta-da!" Hank modestly said. Raven joined him, a kind smile on her face. She looked his up and down, and even from as far away as I was, I could see the intrigued twinkle in her eyes.

"You're amazing." she praised, making Hank flush and look at her hopefully.

"Really?"

She just grinned and nodded. He gracefully jumped down, going back to retrieve his footwear. "Introductions are in order." Charles announced. He introduced himself, followed by Raven. I was next and firmly shook the boy's hand.

"Anneliese." I said, skirting around my last name. "That's Erik." I nodded at my friend, who showed no signs of willingly talking to the scientist.

Hank shyly smiled at me, but his eyes nervously flashed to Erik, who had turned his calculating gaze on the boy. I placed a reassuring hand on the scientist's shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Don't worry. His bark is worse than his bite." I joked, pulling back to wink at him. Charles gave an amused chuckle while Erik scowled. Black then stepped in, clapping his hands together.

"Alright. Why don't I show you to the REC room so that you can all relax and get a bite to eat?" he suggested.

"It will be a pleasure working with you." Charles bade farewell as we went to follow Agent Black and Moira. I waved to the boy, but he did not notice me. His eyes were too busy being glued to Raven. I felt a fond smile tugging at my lips at how endearing it was. We were led through many hallways and past numerous offices, which all looked uniform and boring. The REC room, at least, had some color and was fairly groovy. Two leather sofas were facing each other, positioned around a small coffee table. There were dining tables off to the side by the wet bar. A jukebox flanked the wall with an arcade game or two thrown in. There were two windows, one on each of the longer walls, which gave us a view of either the building's courtyard, or a strange building that was the shape of a large white sphere.

"I hope this will do." Black said, motioning around the space.

"It's perfectly fine." Charles assured. Raven had already flopped down onto one of the sofas, and Erik was mulling about in boredom. I, too, found myself wandering around the room and found a book shelf. I perused the titles, coming across some of my favorites. _Treasure Island, Romeo and Juliet, Oliver Twist, _and _Dracula _were some of the classics that caught my attention. I turned to the man chatting with Charles.

"Excuse me for interrupting." I interjected, glancing at Charles. "I was wondering if I could borrow a book, perhaps?" I asked. Black smiled kindly at me , thumping me on the back.

"Of course! That's what they're there for!" he chuckled. I thanked him warmly, before pulling _Jane Eyre _off of the shelf. I joined Raven, sitting on the sofa across from her. She looked at it curiously, before moaning to herself in disbelief.

"You read the same boring books as Charles!" she exclaimed in a huff. I chuckled to myself.

"On the contrary, I find them intriguing." I protested. "What do you prefer to read then?" I inquired. She flushed and looked away, answering my question. I turned my eyes back to the page, glad to have a book in my hands. Eventually, night came around, and so did a visitor. Raven and I were still in the REC room, but both Erik and Charles had run off to do who knows what. She had put on _Blue Moon _by Elvis Presley, which was playing softly in the back round. A knock sounded at the door, bringing me out of my reading. Raven popped up, hurriedly answering the door. Hank stood in the open doorway, looking more than awkward. He shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously, blushing scarlet when he saw that it was Raven who answered. She let him in, hiding a smile as he brushed past her into the room.

"Hi, Hank." she greeted. "Is there something you need?"

"I, um, well you see Charles was telling me of you mutation and-" he stumbled, his eyes shooting around the room as he was unable to look her in the eye. His gaze fell on me and he clammed up, his face looking more and more like a ripe tomato.

"Yeah?" Raven urged, but also found him looking at me. I put two and two together and came came to the conclusion that Hank was here to ask Raven on a 'date' if you will. I chuckled, gently closing my book and uncrossing my legs.

"I can tell when I'm not wanted." I teased, standing and tucking the book under my arm. "Good luck." I sang to Hank as I strode past them and out of the door. I decided that I'd try and search for Erik, seeing as I had nothing else better to do. I had a feeling that I might get lost in this dreary building, but I had enough time to try and find my way back. Many of the employees had left for the night, and the pristine hallways were eerily quiet and dark. The custodians had shut off some of the lights for the night, so shadows danced on the walls as I passed by. I jumped a couple times as my imagination took over. A grateful sigh slid past my lips as I found the large set of double doors that led to Hank's lab. I knocked gently before pushing inside, hoping to ask him for directions since I had gotten lost as predicted. The lights were dimmed, but there were lights on none the less. I heard soft whispers from the other side of the lab, where a giant model of an engine of an airplane stood. I crept up to it, smirking as I heard Raven's voice accompanied by Hank.

"Have either of you seen Erik?" I asked, amused as they jumped at my voice. I noticed that there was a checkered picnic blanket laid out inside the plane's engine. There were half eaten Twinkies and Coca Cola bottles littered about. I raised a brow at the last object I came across. A syringe full of blood was set off to the side, as if it were to be used later. Hank situated it behind him guiltily, as if he didn't want me to see it. I shrugged it off, looking at them expectantly.

"He was here about ten minutes ago. He went off in the direction of the lobby." Raven informed me, gazing down at her hands clasped uncomfortably in her lap. I nodded in thanks, but paused.

"How do I get to the lobby? I'm afraid I've never been good with navigation." I said. Hank gave me the directions, which were frighteningly accurate to me. I let them be, going off to find my friend. I found the lobby with ease, and saw two figures talking outside. I walked closer to the glass doors, and was able to see it was Charles and Erik. I pushed the door open to ask what they were doing, and their conversation floated into my ears. Erik was facing me, while Charles has his back to me. My friend had his jacket on and his brief case, looking like he was ready to bolt. Although he was turned in my direction, he didn't notice my presence, for he was concentrated on Charles.

"I don't need your help." he was saying.

"Don't kid yourself." Charles shot back. "You needed my help last night. It's not just me you're walking away from."

I felt a pang of fear, my heart dropping at those words. I could only stand and listen, mortified by the words they were exchanging.

"Here you have the chance to be part of something much bigger than yourself." the professor continued. "I won't stop you from leaving. I could. But I won't." Charles took a few steps back in retreat, before turning to the doors. His deep blue eyes met mine, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Shaw's got friends." he called over his shoulder. "You could do with some."

Erik's eyes slid to me, filled with uncertainty. I felt my face contort in betrayal as I stared at him. Charles left us, gently touching my shoulder in comfort. Erik refused to meet my eyes, making me suspicious that he was actually still thinking about abandoning us. Abandoning me. I felt a surge of anger replace my sadness.

"Go ahead, Erik. Run away." I growled, turning on my heel and stalking back inside. I headed towards the REC room, stubborn tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I burst inside, coming across Charles. He was lounging on the couch, tapping his fingers against the upholstery in thought. He glanced at me, looking tired.

"I suppose you are going with him, then?" he asked, thankfully not snooping around in my mind. I let myself fall across from him onto the cushions.

"He can go to Hell for all I care." I replied sourly. "No. I'm staying."

A relieved smile came across his face. "I'm most glad. Our cause can use all of the help it get."

"So are we going scouting, then?" I asked curiously.

"Something like that." he smirked. "Now, would you mind showing me that mutation of yours?"

"Not at all." I said, bringing a hand up and letting a warm ball of fire flow from my fingers. I made swirls in it, letting it manipulate around my fingers.

"How groovy!" he complimented in excitement.

"I like to think so." I laughed. We sat in the REC room and talked about nearly everything until the early morning hours. At some point, I must haven fallen asleep because I awoke on the sofa with a lightly snoring Charles across from me. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stretched, reaching high above me.

"You're finally awake." a voice spoke softly from the other side of the room. Raven sat at one of the tables, munching on a bowl of cereal. She had on a fresh change of clothes and was smiling fondly at us. I nodded at her, stifling a yawn with the back of my hand.

"What time is it?" I asked, seeing through the window that the sun had risen.

"About ten. Where's Erik?" she asked. I frowned at the mention of our deserter.

"Humph. Like I'd know." I growled to myself. She was taken aback, but as she studied me, she smiled sadly.

"Gone." she concluded and took another bite of her breakfast. I stood to join her, and fixed myself a bowl at the bar. I accompanied her and we ate in silence, until both of us were done.

"I have some clothes for you to borrow." she said. "We'll get you some soon, alright?"

I nodded. "Thank you."

"It's no problem." She waved off. She handed me the clothes and showed me to the bathroom where I could change in privacy and use the shower. I pulled on the black sweater dress and shoes, feeling refreshed. By the time I was back, Charles was awake and had changed as well.

"Good morning." he cheerily greeted. "I'm afraid we should try to avoid falling asleep like that again. I'm a bit stiff."

I laughed. "I agree. So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Agent Black wishes to speak with as soon as we are ready." he informed.

"Alright. Ready when you are." I said. He smoothly strode over to the door, and held it open for me. I smirked in amusement, walking out into the hall. We found ourselves seated in Black's office, who didn't look tired what so ever. He started the conversation with the standard, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" He then got down to business, gesturing out of the window to the ball like structure.

"Hank turned that radar installation into a transmitter. It's designed to amplify brainwaves, so it could enhance your telepathic powers, help us find other mutants for our division." he informed. Charles and I were gazing out of the window, myself in curiosity.

"What if they don't want to be found by you?" a familiar voice said from behind us. I perked up instantly, my head whipping around to look at none other than Erik himself. He was smirking to himself, looking rather pleased with out reactions. Charles grinned at him in satisfaction.

"Erik. You decided to stay." he mused. I beamed at my friend, all my doubts and anger washing away. He merely nodded at us, a small smile twitching at his lips before he turned to regard Agent Black.

"If a new species is being discovered, it should be by its own kind." he demanded. "Charles, Anneliese, and I find the mutants. No suits."

Black was stunned and annoyed, glaring at Erik. "First of all, that's my machine out there. Second of all, and much more importantly, this is Charles' decision. Charles is fine with the CIA being involved. Isn't that right?" he defended, turning to Charles for support. Charles took a deep breath, glancing at him.

"No. I'm sorry, but I'm with Erik. We'll find them alone."

"What is I say no?" Black snapped.

"Then good luck using your installation without me." Charles black mailed. I let out a breath of disbelief, wondering what Agent Black was going to do. He mulled over his options, staring at us intensely. He let a reluctant sigh.

"Alright. We'll do it your way." he put his hands up in surrender. He got up, moodily leading us out of the building. I bumped shoulders with Erik, gazing up at him.

"Thank you for staying." I murmured. He caressed my cheek briefly.

"We're in this together." he replied, taking my hand in his. We stopped by the REC room to retrieve Raven, and took her along on our journey. She was excited to come along, bouncing after us the entire way. Charles was the first to go inside, followed by the rest of us. Black had asked Charles if they could shave his head for better results, requested by Hank, but the professor out right refused, running a hand through his smooth locks. Agent Black had to stay behind because there were some problems that were brought to his attention by some of his employees. Hank was there to greet us, surrounded by his confusingly intricate machines.

"I call it Cerebro." he said, gazing up at the alien like head set suspended from the dome's ceiling. In the center underneath it, was a platform where I assumed Charles would need to be standing. He gave a giddy laugh, nodding happily at Hank.

"As in the Spanish for 'brain'."

"Yes." Charles chuckled in understanding.

"Okay, so, the electrodes connect Charles to the transmitter on the roof." Hank began to explain. "When he picks up a mutant, his brain sends a signal through a relay and then the coordinates of their location are printed out here." He showed us all of the machines, while Charles inspected the helmet like apparatus.

"You designed this?" Raven asked in wonder. Hank flushed and nodded.

"Yeah."

I glanced back over at our telepath, who was already on the platform and bringing the machine down onto his head. Erik smirked, leaving my side to stand in front of him. He leaned on the railing, amused by Charles apparently.

"What an adorable lab rat you make, Charles." he teased.

"Don't spoil this for me, Erik." Charles warned, glaring at him slightly.

"I've been a lab rat. I know one when I see one." he replied. I scowled and went over to them, letting Erik know of my displeasure.

"That was uncalled for." I hissed, unpleasant memories of our childhood resurfacing. He didn't pay me any heed, as Raven stood beside me and we all crowded around to watch. Hank began to fiddle with the machines, getting them ready for use.

"Okay, great. Are you sure we can't shave your head?" he asked hopefully. I laughed at the expression on Charles' face.

"Don't touch my hair." Was the professor's reply.

"Okay." Hank sighed, rushing off to flip a few switches. The electrodes started to glow a soft blue, and Charles slid his eyes closed in concentration. Erik took my hand and we slowly stepped away, watching as the lights dimmed and all attention was brought to Charles. I stared in awe, feeling the floor hum under my feet. I startled as Charles' eyes flashed wide open and he gripped the railing for support. I clutched nervously at Erik's arm. Charles was breathing heavy and I heard the scratching of paper as the machine documented the latitude and longitudes onto the paper. A laugh bubbled from the telepath.

"It's working!" Hank exclaimed, much to our excitement and relief. Raven and I shared a joyful grin at Charles' victorious expression. Slowly, the machine began to power down, and Hank ripped the pages from the feed.

"This is a great start!" He cheered. I leaned up on the platform and helped Charles remove himself from it. He eagerly went to Raven, scooping her up into an embrace. He twirled her around, her giggles ringing throughout the room. I smiled fondly at them, but was shocked when Charles wrapped his arms around me as well. I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm and share it, returning the hug. He pulled back to shake Hank's hand and clap Erik on the back.

"We're on our way, my friends." he said dreamily.

* * *

><p>"Absolutely not." I shook my head and crossed my arms stubbornly. I was sitting in the back of the car, looking at the bright neon lights shining from the building we were staked out in front of.<p>

"Come on. It's not like anyone will know you there." Erik reasoned, trying to get me to join them.

"No. I refuse to put one foot inside that place." I shook my head, referring to the gentlemen's club.

"But it's our first recruit." he tried again. I shot Charles a pleading look.

"Erik, maybe it's best if she doesn't go in. It is her choice." he helped, looking at my friend. He sighed.

"Fine." he gave in, opening the car door and slamming it behind him. Charles turned to me in the back seat, flashing me a toothy grin.

"Wish us luck." He got out, joining an irritable looking Erik. I sat back, watching as they crossed the street and went inside. I became instantly bored, finding myself humming and making small flames on my fingers. I thought back on last night, and how our first mutant was named Angel Salvadore, who was currently employed at a strip club, which was where we were now. The minutes slowly ticked by, and I began to wonder what exactly it was that they were doing in there so long for. I'd have to have a nice long chat with them later, to make sure they had behaved themselves. Just when I was going to throw all caution to the wind and go find them, they came strolling out with a young girl on their arms. Charles' jacket was wrapped snug around her, and she looked rather cold. I sighed, opening the door and going out to greet them.

"What took so long?" I asked in exasperation, but smiled politely at the pretty girl.

"We had a private dance." Erik teased.

"Pig." I rolled my eyes. I turned to Angel, extending my hand.

"Anneliese. It's a pleasure to meet you." I introduced. She shook my hand firmly, which was impressive.

"Angel."

We all slid into the car, with Angel in the back seat with me. "So, Angel, what's your talent?" I asked, trying to engage her in conversation.

"I have wings." she said, showing me her tattoos that were like insect wings on her arms. "You?"

I showed her a flicker of fire, before extinguishing it. We drove back to the headquarters silently, and showed Angel to the REC room. She got along well enough with Raven, so we left her there and went to Hank for the next coordinates.

The next day, we flagged down the cab, whose driver was Darwin, another mutant. Erik and Charles slipped into the back, and I joined Darwin in the passenger seat. He glanced into the rear view mirror and at my companions to ask where we were headed.

"Where to, fellas?" he asked. "Miss." he regarded me politely.

"Richmond, Virginia, please." Erik informed

"Right, so, you want the airport? The station? What?" the driver chuckled.

"No, we were rather hoping you would take us all the way." Charles corrected seriously.

"That's a six hour drive." he said in disbelief.

"That will give us plenty of time to talk." And with that, Erik used his ability to flip the meter to start our time. Darwin jumped, staring at the meter in suspicion. He shook his head, and forced himself to begin to drive. I winked at him when he warily glanced at me.

"You cats from around here?" he attempted small talk, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Originally, no." Erik replied. We sank into uncomfortable silence, until it go too awkward for me.

"It's rather chilly in here. How about we turn up the heat?" I asked, letting a burst of fire erupt from my palm. I swear, Darwin's head nearly hit the roof as he startled.

Our next destination was a high security prison, which housed our next mutant, Alex Summers.

"What does the government want with a guy like Alex Summers?" the man had asked eyeing us as if we were trying to break him out. "I hope you're not planning on putting his with others." He said, stopping in from of the door. "First guy I've ever met who actually prefers solitary confinement."

The door had opened to a young blonde, who glared up at us as the door swung open. I noticed his eyes roaming over me, since I was probably the first female he'd seen in years. He had followed us reluctantly, only after Charles explained to him what we were here for and that he had a chance to do good in the world. He'd sat next to me in the car, and refused to answer any of my questions.

The next day, we headed out to the local aquarium, where Sean Cassidy was supposedly at. We passed a blonde high school girl leaving one of the exhibits, looking slightly miffed. A red headed boy was staring in disappointment at an empty tank. Erik and Charles went up beside him, offering him to come with us and join in the cause. He shrugged and agreed, turning around and laying his eyes on me.

"Hello, beautiful." he flirted, wagging his eyebrows.

"I don't think so." I teased.

And finally, our last conquest was at a grungy bar. We walked in and the smell of smoke and alcohol bombarded me, reminding me of my father's club back in Vegas. There was a buff man smoking a cigar sitting at the middle of the bar. By our guess, this was Logan. He threw back the rest of his drink, slamming the glass back down.

"Excuse me, I'm Erik Lensherr." my friend began, putting his hand on the bar beside the man.

"Charles Xavier."

"Go fuck yourself." Logan casually said, leaving no room for argument. The three of us looked at each other, not knowing what to do. I shrugged, but Erik swapped places with me, pushing me so I was right next to the guy. I scowled at him, but hopped up onto the bar next to him anyway. Erik apparently wanted me to try my womanly charm. I crossed my legs and leaned towards him.

"Come on, tiger." I tried, looking at him from beneath my lashes like I had picked up from Emma. I saw him ponder it for a moment, before shaking his head. I hopped onto the ground.

"I tried." I reasoned, and the two left with me.

"Never knew you could do that." Erik mused.

"A girl picks up a few things in Vegas." I laughed. "Why? Did you enjoy it?" I teased.

"Just a little." he remarked.

"Well, I'm going to go back and check up on everyone. You two coming?" I asked, going to the street to hail a cab.

"I brought a chess board in the car. I was hoping for a game or two before we went back." Charles said, looking at Erik in question. Erik nodded.

"I'll play you." he nodded.

"Alright, boys. I'll be seeing you then." I eventually got a taxi to stop, and the two went off to find somewhere to set up their board. Back at the CIA building, everyone was getting along great.

"Anne!" Raven exclaimed, using a friendly nickname for me. "Where's the new mutant?" she asked, and all eyes turned towards me. I hung up my jacket and joined them at the sofas.

"He refused us, and not too kindly either." I said, chuckling at the man. They didn't look too upset, which was good. "Everyone's getting along, I see." I remarked happily.

"Of course." she chirped. "Where's Charles and Erik, then?"

"They stayed behind to play a game of chess."

She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "At least you're here."

We all ate dinner, and the sky was darkening when we sat around to chat. Everyone was drinking Cola and talking in good nature, when Raven brought something up.

"We should think of code names." she piped, bringing us all to focus on her. "We're government agents now, we should have secret code names." she explained.

"I want to be called Mystique." she said proudly.

"Damn! I wanted to be called Mystique!" Sean feigned disappointment.

"Well, tough. I called it." she laughed, before changing her form to look like a duplicate of him. Everyone jumped back in amazement, fascinated by her gift. Sean looked dazed as she spoke to him.

"And I'm way more mysterious than you." We all clapped for her, enjoying ourselves and having a good time. "Darwin, what about you?" she inquired.

"Well, 'Darwin' is already a nickname, and, you know, it sort of fits. Adapt to survive and all. Check this out." he got up and strut over to the fish tank, sticking his head straight in without even flinching. I watched in awe as gills popped out of his neck. He grinned at us, pulling his head out and shaking it to rid of the water.

"That was incredible!" Hank began clapping like the rest of us.

"Thank you." Darwin said. "What about you?" he asked, pointing to Sean.

"I'm going to be..." he started, pausing in though. "Banshee."

"Why do you want to be named after a wailing spirit?" Hank asked curiously.

"You might wanna cover your ears." Sean warned as he got up. All of us put hands on our ears, our brows knit together in confusion. He bent down in front of our glasses of soda that were in a row, and took in a deep breath. He held it, his facing turning red as he stopped for suspense. He let out a high pitched shrieked, and the glasses didn't break. No, the window had to shatter. I let my hands fall as I cursed under my breath. We were going to get into trouble most probably. I sighed as they laughed, not having a care in the world.

"Your turn." Sean said to Angel.

"My stage name is Angel." she informed. "It kind of fits." she said, taking off her coat and letting her wings peel off of her skin. Sean whistled as they fluttered together.

"You can fly?" Raven asked.

"Uh-huh...And-" Angel grinned, turning to the already broken window. She stepped back and spit acidic saliva at the statue in the courtyard, disintegrating the metallic head. Sean's faced turned scarlet from excessive laughing, while Angel put her coat back on and nodded at Hank.

"What's your name?"

"How 'bout Big Foot?" Alex laughed. Both Hank and I frowned. I was about to make a snippy come back, but Raven had beat me to it.

"You know what they say about guys with big feet. And yours are kind of small."

I laughed along with everyone else this time, and Darwin was the one to come in.

"Okay, now."

Hank gave her a thankful look, which she returned with a kind smile.

"Alex, what is your gift? What can you do?" Darwin changed the subject.

"It's not...I just can't do it. I can't do it in here." he sighed.

"Can you do it out there?" he asked, gesturing to the destroyed courtyard.

"Why don't you just do it out there?" Raven suggested.

"Come on!" we all begged. "Alex! Alex! Alex!" we chanted. He stood up reluctantly, putting up a hand to get us to quit. We cheered, getting up to follow him out to the window, or now, a hole in the wall.

"Get down when I tell you." he warned, all business now. He stepped outside, far enough away from us so as not to harm us. We all stood behind the wall, peaking behind it.

"Get down." Alex said. We shrank back, but it was too exciting and we came back out. He was irritated.

"Get Back!" he shooed, but none of us budged. "Whatever." he mumbled under his breath. He moved and great disks of flaming red plasma formed around his torso. He spun them and they shot out in all directions, one of them cutting what was rest of the statue clean in half. Everyone clapped and shouted, but I thought it was high time for the destruction to end.

"Now, are we done wreaking havoc?" I asked dryly.

"That's it!" Raven cried and looked at Alex. "You're Havok!"

He shrugged, seeming to like it. "And you!" Raven turned to me. "You can be Inferno!"

"Just settle down." I said, grabbing a book off of the shelf and going out into the courtyard to read. They responded by turning up the jukebox and disregarding me. I sighed as they danced around, breaking whatever was in their wake.

"Guys!" I tried for the millionth time, but I must not have had enough authority over them.

"What the hell?" I heard from the hallway, and I knew that Erik and Charles were back with Moira. Angel was flying up in the air while Raven danced atop a table. Hank was hanging from a light fixture while Alex and Sean were attempting to break chairs off of Darwin's rock form. I shot up, warily walking over to apologize.

"They wouldn't listen to me." I sighed. Moira didn't seem angered with me, for she was too shocked as she stared at them, stunned. Charles pursed his lips, and Erik looked just as speechless.

"What are you doing?" Moira shouted, effectively freezing the rowdy mutants. "Who destroyed the statue?"

"It was Alex." Hank immediately ratted out.

"No, Havok." Raven corrected. "We have to call him Havok. That's his name now. And we were thinking, you should be Professor X." she stepped forward, pointing at Charles. "And you should be Magneto." Erik followed.

"Exceptional." Erik breathed. Moira was stunned, and Charles looked more than angry.

"I expect more from you." He spat, taking my arm and hauling me off with them. I looked back once to see Raven's hurt face.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, letting Charles drag me along. He glanced down at me with his burning blue eyes.

"Did you break anything?" he asked, rather calmly. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"No, of course not."

"Then don't apologize." he said. We stopped in another hallway, and I felt rather guilty for the state of things. Moira did her best not to think of it at that moment, and looked at me.

"We came looking for you because we need to talk." she said. I nodded, urging her to go on.

"We have a plane leaving in an hour for Russia. We've found out the next stop for Shaw and we want you to come with us." she informed. I instantly froze. That would mean seeing either my father, or Emma. Possibly even Riptide and Azazel. I shook my head.

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Moira shouted in disbelief.

"No. I won't go to Russia. No, I won't go anywhere near Shaw." I said flat out.

"Why the hell not?" she asked. Charles sighed and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"I think it is her decision, and if she chooses not to go, we can't hold it against her."

"I agree." said Erik. I shot them both thankful glances.

"Besides," I began. "Someone has to watch the others so we don't have a repeat of tonight."

"You were there the entire time!" she exclaimed. I deflated.

"I couldn't get them to listen." I said. Moira threw up her hands and stomped off. I didn't feel guilty about upsetting her. I had stood my ground and laid down my boundaries.

"We'll see you tomorrow then." Charles said goodbye, going after the CIA agent. Erik came over to me.

"Will you be alright?" he asked.

"Ja." I said, slipping back into my native tongue. "I should be fine."

He nodded and pressed a kiss to my hair. "Hold down the fort." he said shortly before leaving.

* * *

><p>The next night, they still hadn't come back. The broken window had been replaced, the remnants of the statue removed. I'd put my foot down and laid some ground rules so as not to have anymore chaos. I was proud of myself, hoping that Erik, Charles, and Moira would be so, too. It was quiet after we ate dinner, and everyone was still regretting their behavior from last night. At one point, we were all gathered on the sofas, with Alex and Darwin playing the arcade games, which Alex was beating everyone at. Two CIA agents walked past the window, instantly being drawn to us. They smirked through the window.<p>

"Oh, I didn't know the circus was in town." one taunted. "Hey come on, honey. Give us a little..." he made flapping motions like wings at us, referring to Angel. She shook her head, looking put down. Surely all of us felt like freaks in that moment as they looked down upon us. He turned to Hank with a sneer.

"No? Come on, let's see the foot."

Hank got up, much to the amusement of the suits. "There it is. Come on, Big Foot, let's go."

Hank waved to them as he pressed the button to close the curtains, and we drowned out their protests.

"They're just guys being stupid." Raven said, trying to lift Angel's spirit.

"Guys being stupid, I can handle. Okay? I've handled that my whole life. But I'd rather a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off than the way these ones stare at me." she defended, looking about to cry.

"At us." Raven nodded. It was then that I heard it. That familiar whooshing noise I'd grown accustomed to over the years. My blood ran cold and I could hear my heart thudding in my ears. The irony of it made me want to laugh. I refused going to Russia to avoid the very thing I was about to face.

"What was that?" Darwin asked in concern. I shot up, making everyone around me stare in confusion.

"You okay?" Raven asked, but I couldn't answer. My hands were forming fists, clenched tightly at my sides.

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right." Darwin said, coming over to open the curtains once more.

"What is that?" He asked as we looked into the sky.

"No." I breathed at the two figures hovering in the air. One let the other go before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The other form plummeted towards the unforgiving ground with a scream. Agent Black fell in front of our window, the sounds of his bones crunching confirming his instant death. I closed my eyes at the distressed screams of my fellow mutants. This was it, and there was nothing I could do. Bodies began raining from the sky, their sickening crunches a morbid chorus around us. Raven began to cry, much to my sadness.

"Anneliese!" Sean cried, grabbing my arms and shaking me. "Snap out of it!" he desperately begged. CIA agents ran into the courtyard with weapons, pounding on our window.

"Get back! Get back! Do no leave that room. We're under attack!" one shouted. They all turned at my companions' cries as Azazel appeared where the statue had once been. They all began shooting at the red demon, but it was all in vain. He vanished, and I caught a glimpse of his deadly daggers in his hands. Everyone hit the deck, but I didn't move. Alex grabbed my hand and forced me to the ground, shielding me from the line of fire. The glass around us shattered in a burst of gunfire. I sat up and looked to the other window. A great tornado was engulfing Cerebro, crushing it with its powerful force. Riptide. The chaos rained upon us as Azazel reappeared, slicing the agents as if they were rag dolls.

"Stay here my ass! Let's go!" Darwin shouted, trying to protect everyone, but I found that there was no hope. I let them pull me from the room, but we were blocked by guards in the hallway.

"Get back!" they shouted.

"We can help! We can help!" Alex shouted, but they wouldn't let us through. The ground trembled beneath out feet as an explosion rattled the building.

"Please, no." I mumbled, just knowing that **he **was here. We retreated to the REC room, which was no longer a safe haven. They watched in horror as Azazel took out every single agent in the courtyard. On our other side, the wind storm picked up a man, who came crashing into our window. Janos came in from our right, while Azazel advanced from our left. Gunfire sounded outside the door, which was our last hope.

"Wait! You want the mutants? They're right through that door. Just let us normal people go. We're no threat..." a man begged desperately. If only he'd known he'd made his chances worse. There was a thud, and then the door opened. Father walked casually in, like he hadn't just killed scores of people. Azazel came forward, grabbing my arms and dragging me to the side. Darwin attempted to grab my arm, but the teleporter raised his dagger in warning.

"Where's the telepath?" Father asked Azazel.

"Not here." he replied.

"Too bad." He nodded. "Well, at least I can take this silly thing off." he took off the helmet he was wearing and gave it to Riptide. He came over to me, grabbing my face. I struggled to get away from him, but it was no use.

"So this is where you've been hiding, meine liebe." His voice was slow, the calm before the storm. "I'll deal with you later."

He turned to the others, pasting on a pleasant smile. "Good evening. My name is Sebastian Shaw. And I am not here to hurt you." he began. I wanted to scream at them not to believe him, but that wouldn't end well for any of us.

"Freeze!" a lone soldier shouted, pointing his gun at my father.

"Azazel." Azazel was gone in a flash, releasing me to slay the man. I forced my legs to run back over to my companions, but they all shied away from me. I felt like my knees were going to collapse beneath me, so I let them. I crumpled to the floor, feeling empty and alone.

"My friends, there is a revolution coming. When mankind discovers who we are, what we can do, each of us will face a choice." he explained, walking over to them "Be enslaved or rise up to rule. Choose freely, but know that if you are not with us, then, by definition, you are against us." he let his eyes wandered over to me for example.

"So," his eyes flickered back to them. "...you can stay and fight for the people who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings." he focused in on Angel in particular. "And queens."

"Don't you dare listen to him!" I croaked, forcing myself to stand and face him. "Don't you dare believe his lies." Tears were now streaming down my cheeks, but it was too late to care. He gave me a sinister smile.

"I see you've all met my beautiful daughter, Anneliese." he said, purposefully trying to make me lose face with them. They were silent, looking at me with uncertainty. Riptide came over and took my wrist and Father extended his hand to Angel, who hesitantly took it and followed him.

"Angel." Raven called.

"Are you kidding me?" Sean said in disbelief.

"Come on." she said, her voice cracking. "We don't belong here. And that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Riptide dragged me out of the window, kicking and screaming. "Janos! Please, let me go!" I begged, clawing at his hand. He remained firm.

"I won't let you leave me again." he whispered darkly. He grimaced but held his own as I let my skin steam and steadily increase in temperature. I could feel the blisters forming on his skin, but his grip only tightened.

"I hate you." I cried, almost taking it back at the hurt look twisting onto his face. He took hold of one of Azazel's hands and we formed a chain, ready to teleport wherever Father wanted to go.

"Stop." Darwin called. "I'm coming with you."

"No!" I shouted at him, but he gave me an icy glare. Father stepped forward to welcome him.

"Good choice. So, tell me about your mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive. So, I guess I'm coming with you."

"I like that." Father nodded. He came over, taking Angel's hand.

"Alex!" Darwin called.

"Get out!" came the cry of Havok.

"Do it!" Darwin shielded Angel with his rock form and I fell to the ground, covering my head. Alex gave it his best, but it was no use. My father merely absorbed his energy. I stood, stunned.

"Protecting your fellow mutants?" he asked. "That's a noble gesture. Feels good." he said smugly. Darwin threw a punch his way, but he took in that energy as well. He caught Darwin's face in his hand.

"Adapt to this." he hissed.

"Papa!" I cried. I watched helplessly as he forced a ball of nuclear energy down Darwin's throat. I left their side, leaving to stand in front of Darwin. They were gone in a pop, leaving me behind with the destruction and despair.

"I'm sorry." I said to the convulsing mutant. "I-I don't know what to do."

He met my eyes and in that moment, I saw forgiveness. He body kept changing forms, trying desperately to prevent the inevitable. He turned to Alex, whose eyes were wide in fright, he extended a reassuring hand. He looked at him as if to say, "It's alright. It wasn't you fault." And then, he was nothing but ash floating in wind.

"I'm sorry." I murmured one last time, and turned to Alex. I brushed past him, not able to look into his eyes. I stepped into the hallway to the group. As I joined them, I met their accusing and betrayed gazes.


	5. Chapter IV

**I'm happy to present the next chapter of my story! It's been a while and I really wanted to update to let all my lovely readers know that I have not abandoned this story :) Life's been pretty hectic and now I finally have time to sit down and work on my stories. I apologize if this chapter is shorter than the rest, but I'll try and update soon! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Why didn't you say anything?" Was the first thing said to me as we regrouped outside. The light of the sun was just breaking over the horizon as dawn came upon us, and the wreckage from the chaos was disturbing. Large slabs of concrete had crushed cars like children's toys, and the building was reduced to nothing but rubble. The others had collapsed onto crushed benches that were still hanging on to being intact. They eyed me accusingly, as if everything had been my fault. A bark of hysterical laughter erupted from my throat, tears welling in my eyes.<p>

"Why? Why didn't I tell you?" I spat in disbelief. "I didn't tell you because I knew what all of you would do! I'd be shunned, discriminated, hated. And for something I never even wanted to be! Do you think I asked to be his daughter? Huh?" I shrieked, and their eyes widened in slight fear, but there was no going back for me.

"For the first time in my life, I felt like my life was headed in the right direction. I found Erik. I had a chance to take revenge on the man who tore us apart, and most of all, I had friends. So, excuse me for keeping a secret from you. Don't you dare act like you're entitled to my secrets just because you think you know me. Because you don't!" I hissed, my body shaking. "You don't," I whispered, turning and scratching the tears from my face.

"Anne..." I heard Raven murmured sadly, as if she regretted everything. I shrank away from them, sitting on the farthest piece of rubble I could find from the group. Soon enough, soldiers were driving up to the site with their guns ready for another attack. They questioned all of us, and a medic went around to make sure we had no injuries. As soon as Charles, Erik, and Moira returned, I was going to bolt. I couldn't stand being among people who dubbed me an outcast. I couldn't stand it. There might be a slight chance that life with the Hellfire Club would be better. At least my father and the others didn't think I was an outsider.

That's when I heard it. "Raven?" a familiar voice called. My time was up. I turned to watch them, but none of the trio returning noticed me from my farther distance from the group. Charles jogged up to her, wrapping his arms around her in a concerned embrace. He pulled back to look at them, his face a solemn, as well as Erik and Moira's.

"We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately," he informed, sighing sadly.

"We're not going home," Sean interrupted darkly.

"What?" Charles asked in question. Sean responded by turning and gazing pointedly at Alex sitting by his side.

"He's not going back to prison," he remarked. Alex nodded in agreement.

"He killed Darwin," He spat, making me flinch in regret and guilt.

"All the more reason for you to leave. This is over," Charles put them down, determined to change their minds. To protect them. Raven looked at him sadly, her crystal eyes looking pained.

"Darwin's dead, Charles. And we can't even bury him," she spoke.

"We can avenge him," Erik intervened, putting his hands on his waist coolly. Heads turned, and all eyes trained themselves on him at his suggestion. Charles didn't seem very pleased, and requested a word with him in private. I decided now was the best time for me to slip off without the professor or Erik noticing my escape. I slowly stood, watching them for a moment as a silent goodbye.

"We'll have to train. All of us," he laid down his rules, being stern with them. "Yes?"

A chorus of yeahs and nods were all it took for me to turn and take a deep breath, taking the first step. I put my feet one after the other, steadily gaining pace and leaving the wreckage behind me. I'm sure that I could find somewhere to be accepted, but who knew if it would end like it just did? I was approaching the end of the parking lot, when I heard shouts of my name.

"Anneliese!" It was Erik.

'Don't look back. Don't look back at him.' I thought to myself, quickening my steps to get away from him. It was no use, his long stride caught up to me in no time. He grabbed my wrist, stopping me. I sighed, looking at my feet as I was unable to meet his gaze.

"Let me go, Erik," I whispered.

"I can't," he said, his crystal eyes pleading. "I need you."

"I'm unwanted. They think it's my fault. Maybe it is," I stated coldly. I heard him shift and he stepped in front of me, using his other hand to tilt my chin to make me look at him. His express was soft and held no accusations or hatred.

"You are not at fault. They will just have to get over themselves if they don't realize it," he said. "Come. I know Charles, at least, doesn't blame you."

I swallowed heavily, following him as he lead me back to the group. Charles smiled at me in relief and nodded in satisfaction. An awkward silence fell among us, and the younger of the group were glaring at me, to which Moira became confused.

"Charles, what's going on?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why don't you ask her?" Alex gestured to me, his eyes burning in anger. I shrank back, but Charles put a hand on my shoulder. Moira turned to me, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for me to answer.

"Well?"

"He's. . . my father." I sighed. "Shaw."

Her eyes widened, her jaw slackening. It would have been a comical look for her, had the situation not been so morbid. I could tell she was about to begin either yelling or pull a gun out on me, for I could see those wheels turning in her mind. She opened her mouth to speak but she was cut off.

"I knew," Charles said, his eyes roaming over their tired faces.

"And you let her be here?" Moira shouted.

"I have utter faith in her, and so should all of you," He concluded. "And she's coming with us."

Raven shuffled forward, glancing at me guiltily. She licked her lips and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear nervously.

"I'm sorry I doubted you. If Charles trusts you, then I do, too," she apologized, and smiled. "Besides, you're dad's an ass, so why wouldn't you want to help us?"

I gave a relieved chuckle, and we threw our arms around each other, holding on tightly. "Thanks, Raven. And I think all of them are asses. Especially Emma."

She grinned as we pulled back, and turned to the others. She put her hands on her hips, glaring at the boys. They shifted under her gaze, looking anywhere but at her. She must have been expecting apologies from them, but I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"It's alright, Raven. I'll just have to prove myself," I shrugged. Charles seemed pleased, grinning at us.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, turning to him.

"I have a home in New York that should serve for our purposes. It can be our headquarters until we've been trained," he informed. "We'll have to take another plane, and then drive to the country."

I felt the blood drain from my face, my stomach feeling queasy. A deep chuckled from my side shook me out of my fear. Erik looked amused.

"Seen a ghost recently?" he shook with laughter. I smacked him in the arm, smiling weakly.

* * *

><p>"Are we there yet?" Sean whined from the backseat of the car. I groaned, letting my head hit against the window, glaring at the vehicle driving along in front of us. Erik and I were the unlucky ones so to speak. Erik was driving while I sat on the passenger side. We had Alex in the back, who emanated hate towards me. Sean was also behind us, and was spouting off annoying remarks and trying hard not to flirt with me. Charles was driving up ahead of us to lead the way with Raven, Hank, and Moira in his car.<p>

Erik merely shot an annoyed glance into the rear view mirror and stayed silent, which made Sean snap his mouth shut. The radio played softly from the speakers, not helping to ease the tension. I sighed, closing my eyes irritably. I was not in a good mood after an hour and a half of torture on a plane. Throw in some turbulence and a near panic attack, and you can image the foul mood I was in. My eyes shot open as one song in particular came on. I threw my hand forward and cranked up the volume, making Erik raise an eyebrow. I turned in my seat to look at him, before bursting into song with the Beach Boys blasting from the radio.

"_If everybody had an ocean,_

_Across the U.S.A,_

_Then everybody'd be surfing,_

_Like Californ-I-A_

_You'd seen 'em wearin' their baggies,_

_Huarache__ sandals,too_

_A bushy, bushy blonde hairdo_

_Surfin' U.S.A_"

I sang terribly off key. Erik started laughing.

"You know, you're a dreadful singer, right?" he asked, his eyes crinkling at the sides while his lips tugged upwards into a grin. I pouted playfully, forgetting my previous annoyance. I missed half of the following verse, so I jumped right in with the line coming up.

"..._Australia's Narabine,_

_All over Manhattan,_

_and down Doheny way,_

_Everybody's gone surfin'_

_Surfin' U.S.A!_"

I shouted. "Come on, Erik! You know you wanna join in!"

"I'd rather not embarrass myself," he shook his head with a chuckle.

"_We'll all be planning out a route,_

_We're gonna take real soon,_

_We're waxin' down our surf boards_

_We can't wait for June._

_We'll all be gone for the summer_

_We're on safari to stay_

_Tell the teacher we're surfin'_

_Surfin' U.S.A._"

Sean supplied, as horrible as I did. I cracked up, my giggles shaking my body. Erik cranked down his window, followed by Sean and even Alex. I put mine down, too, and the wind blew my hair all over the place.

"_At Haggerty's and Swami's,_

_Pacific Palisades,_

_San Onofre and Sunset,_

_Redondo Beach, L.A.,_

_All over La Jolla_

_At Waiamea Bay_,"

Alex even threw in, his hostility evaporating slowly.

"Everybody!" Sean yelled, gesturing wildly.

"_Everybody's gone surfin',_

_Surfin' U.S.A!_"

We shouted between laughs. I looked out the front window to see Raven and Hank turned around in the back seat, laughing hysterically at us. I grinned, and rolled up my window to deal with the mop called my hair. The others slowly sealed theirs, and I rummaged through my bags to find a brush and a hair tie.

"That was the most fun I've had in a while," I breathed, still out of breath from our impromptu performance.

"You've got a set of lungs there, Anne," Sean cackled, reverting to his old self, much to my happiness. He winked at me, and I had a feeling that he was cooling off from earlier today, Alex, however, was a different story. His smile fell as he registered what we were doing, and he began to glare at me again. I sighed, rolling my eyes. Some people were just too stubborn, and not understanding.

"We're here." Erik then said, nodding at the mansion resembling a castle we were headed straight for. Our jaws dropped in amazed disbelief.

"Wow, Charles." I gaped. We pulled up in front of the house, and Erik cut the engine. I threw open the door and swung my legs out, jumping from the car. We all gathered at the front door, gazing up at the building looming intimidatingly down at us.

"This is yours?" Sean murmured to Charles in disbelief.

"No," Charles replied with a ghost of a smile. "It's ours."

"Honestly, Charles. I don't know how you survived, living in such hardship." Erik dryly joked. Raven chuckled and pushed through the group to be next to her adoptive brother.

"Well, it was a hardship softened by me," she grinned. Charles wrapped his arm around her, pressing a loving kiss to her head. She sized up the house as she looked upon it again for the first time in what must have been a while.

"Come on. Time for the tour," she breathed, stepping forward to lead us inside. We all hurriedly grabbed our bags from the cars as Raven and Charles went to unlock the doors for us. I only had a small bag of things I had picked up from the C.I.A. building and the Coast Guard base. Erik was also traveling light, with only his briefcase and a a small pack.

Charles and Raven showed us the beautiful foyer with its mahogany woodwork and grand staircase. Exquisite pieces of art lined the walls, looking more and more priceless as we proceeded. The kitchen, dining room, library, drawing room, living room, and the bunker were next to come. The rest of us had looks of awe on our faces in amazement. This house was beyond gorgeous. At last, we were led to the second level to be given our rooms. Mine was beside Raven and Alex's rooms and across from Hank's. I spent my time unpacking what little I had, bustling about the room curiously. A soft knock broke my exploration.

"Come in," I called, and the door opened to Charles. He smiled softly, which I returned.

"Your house is lovely, Charles," I complimented.

"It has its charms," he agreed, although his answer was a bit stiff. I raised my brow.

"You don't like it, then?" I inquired. The telepath shrugged.

"I was rather lonely here with my parents until Raven came. My father died when I was quite little, and my mother was never really home."

"Oh. . . ." I trailed off awkwardly. I licked my dry lips, meeting his deep blue gaze. "Um, thank you. For defending me, I mean. I can only imagine what it must have been like for them to find out that someone you trusted was the offspring of the enemy," I tore my eyes from his, instead staring intently at my feet.

"They were merely afraid. In time, they will see the good that I already see in you," Charles replied, slowly walking over to me. He reached up, gently tilting my head so that I was looking at him. I parted my lips to respond, but was interrupted as Raven burst into the room.

"Anneliese! I was wandering . . . . Oh, am I interrupting?" Raven asked, freezing as she laid eyes upon us. I pulled away from Charles, smiling at her.

"Not at all," I replied. "Is there something you needed?"

"Not really. I was just coming to see if you wanted to talk or something."

Charles was already headed for the door, flashing us a small smile.

"Remember what I said," he advised before shutting the door behind him. Raven turned to me with a sly grin, narrowing her eyes playfully.


	6. Chapter V

"Don't," I warned Raven as she bit her lip, attempting to suppress a broad grin. I rolled my eyes at the excited curiosity in her gaze, trying not to reveal that I was slightly embarrassed by the fact that she had found me in such close proximity to her adoptive brother.

"I didn't say anything," she smirked, holding up her hands innocently. Raven flopped down onto the bed, grinning like mad. "But you and Charles were getting awfully cozy."

"Oh? And what about you and Hank?" I retorted, crossing my arms in challenge.

"Alright! Truce!" she groaned, and I flashed her a grin of victory. "But seriously, what were the two of you talking about?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbow to look at me inquisitively.

"I was just thanking him," I shrugged, telling her only half of the truth.

"Sure." It was obvious that she knew that wasn't all, but she decided to let it slide. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me. I know you need clothes, and I want to get out for a few hours. Girl time, you know?"

"I'd love to Raven." I smiled warmly at her, plopping down beside my new friend. "Being in a group of psychos all my life didn't give me the luxury of friends to be a normal girl with. I'm glad that I have a chance now. Really, Raven. Thank you."

"I'm glad we get to have some fun together, too. We both need friends that aren't, well...men!" she giggled, beaming at me.

We both left my room, going down the grand staircase to find Sean and Alex heading up it. Sean's lips spread into a goofy grin when he spotted us, but Alex merely glared when he noticed that it was me. I ignored him, remembering what Charles had said to me.

_"They were merely afraid. In time, they will see the good that I already see in you."_

A warm fluttering tickled in my chest at those words, for nobody had ever believed in me utterly. My father sure as hell didn't, nor did any of his goons. I liked to believe Erik thought that of me, but it was hard to tell. I knew that my dear friend cared for me, but his hatred for my father ran just as deep, making me worry that he doubted me because of it.

I was jarred from my thoughts as Sean spoke. "Where are you ladies off to?"

"Shopping." Raven replied with a chipper attitude. Sean's face contorted in horror at her answer, and he dramatically grasped Alex's shoulder.

"Run!" he gasped, dashing past us and up the stairs. Alex huffed in irritation before following the redhead up the stairs, bumping past the two of us rudely. Raven scowled, crossing her arms as she watched his back disappear around the corner.

"What's his problem?" she glared at the empty stairs above us.

"Me." I replied simply with a sigh. "He'll get over it, Raven. Let's just go shopping and forget about it. Okay?"

"Yeah." she agreed, smiling slightly.

* * *

><p>"So what's the story with you and Erik?" Raven inquired as we pawed through the racks of clothes at one of the shops she'd dragged me into.<p>

I froze, glancing at her nervously. Her expectant gaze didn't help my urge to run all the way back to the mansion on my own on foot. Painful memories flashed before my eyes at her question, particularly of my father and the sadistic experiments her took pleasure in.

"Um..." I began, clearing my throat. "We're childhood friends," was my weak reply. She raised an eyebrow, obviously wanting me to dish.

"I'd rather not talk about it here, Raven. Perhaps when we leave the shop, alright?" I turned away to search through another rack. I heard her disappointed sigh, but she agreed before talking about how this white dress with a blue peter pan neckline would look good on me. I followed her through the store, allowing her to pick out clothes for me to try on. The pile kept growing, and I thought I would be engulfed in it if she didn't stop. When it got to the point that I could barely see over the top, she led me to the dressing room in satisfaction.

"Why aren't you trying anything on?" I asked, noticing she didn't have any clothes in her arms.

"Well, I was focusing on finding clothes for you because you don't really have any. Plus, I can always raid your closet," she winked at me, making me chuckle.

"Fair enough," I agreed. She then pushed me into the room.

"So, after we're done here, I was thinking we could stop and get coffee somewhere." she called through the door. I knew she wanted to hear about Erik and I, which made my heart flop pathetically into my stomach as I pulled on the white dress she'd picked out from earlier. I stepped outside for her opinion on the dress.

"Sounds good." I agreed, nodding. She pursed her lips in thought as she looked at me, nodding to herself slowly.

"I like it." she concluded, ushering me back inside to try on another.

"What do you think about me and Hank?" she asked, while I stripped and grabbed another dress. It was a hideous shade of mustard yellow, but I thought I would indulge her anyway.

"You mean romantically?" I shrugged into the dress, opening the door.

"No, like friends," she said sarcastically. "Of course romantically!"

"Well, I think you two look good together, and it's adorable how awkward he is around you. As long as he likes you for you, inside and out, then I think you two have a good shot."

She smiled at me happily, rushing over to throw her arms around me and nearly suffocate me. I laughed, hugging her back before she pulled away, assessing my dress. Her face scrunched up in disgust as she looked at it.

"What the hell was I thinking?!" she exclaimed, berating herself.

"It's a good thing you didn't like it," I told her. "Because I wouldn't wear it even if pigs could fly."

Raven gave her approval for a white sailor dress, a red ascot collared blouse, and a simple black dress. She also picked out some sweaters and pants for me to wear. As we finally got down to the bottom of the pile, I felt a sigh of relief leave my lips. I walked out to show her the final outfit, a purple dress with a v neck and sheer bell sleeves that ended above my knees.

"That's definitely a yes!" she squealed, grinning at her friend. "Charles won't be able to keep his eyes off of you!"

"Raven!" I groaned as she mentioned Charles, fueled by what she had walked in upon earlier.

"Would you rather I said Erik?" she cackled. I swatted at her and turned to change back into the clothes Raven had lent me. As we went to purchase the clothes we'd agreed on, I vowed to her that I would pay her and Charles back.

"Relax, Annie. It's the least we could do," she brushed it off. I was taken aback.

"Annie?" I cocked my head to the side in confusion. She blushed sheepishly as she gave the cashier the money.

"It's just a nickname I came up with. I won't call you it if you don't like it."

"No!" I exclaimed, startling her and the woman putting the money in the cash register. "I do. Like it that is."

Her answering beam was absolutely beautiful. We thanked the cashier, chatting amiably as we left. Raven found this hole in the wall cafe, where we ordered our drinks and two apple turnovers to munch on.

"Spill." she said simply, making me swallow my mouthful of the pastry with difficulty.

"Raven, it's...not as simple as you'd like to believe. We became friends in our own personal hell." I whispered, distracting myself with watching the steam lazily waving above my mug.

"I'll tell you what I can, but there are some things that are better kept in the past," I said slowly to her, meeting her shocked eyes.

"Alright." she said in a hush.

"Erik and I met when we were children. I was maybe 10 or 11. It was...at a camp during the war. My father was...a doctor there, so I was forced to live there as well." My story felt choppy as I frantically decided what I was willing to tell her. She nodded in encouragement.

"One afternoon, I went to my father's office, but I unbeknownst to me, Erik had been brought to him. I came to find the office in a disarray, for Erik's mutation had flared. Father was giddy that he'd found another mutant, not a disappointment like I was."

"But you're a mutant!" Raven said in confusion, but I smiled bitterly.

"It hadn't shown yet, Raven. I'm getting there. After I met Erik, father brought him to my room, wanting me to gain his trust and become his friend. I did, but only because I needed one myself. I was alone, save for father and his assistant, Achim. Erik became the only thing I looked forward to in the day, my anchor amid all of the horror and suffering I saw everywhere."

A soft smile came to my lips at one of the few good memories I had. "I remember once, Father gave me a jar of marbles for my birthday, and I was so excited about having them. I convinced Erik to teach me how to play, which he agreed to reluctantly. I was terrible at it, until I got lucky once and beat him. That was the first time he actually smiled at me."

Raven was smiling too, but from there the story went back to solemn.

"We met and talked or played everyday until one day, he didn't come at all. That night, I went to find my father to ask him where Erik was. There..." I paused, unable to tell her the truth in regards to what happened. My voice cracked as I lied to her, but the memories were playing freshly in my mind.

"There was an accident and I thought Erik was dead. I remember feeling so angry, like there was molten lava running in my blood, burning me from the inside out. I injured Achim when my mutation showed its face. To say Father was elated would be an understatement. I found out Erik was alive and well, and he was the one that helped me through the feeling of being a freak. The last night I saw him was when Father was fleeing to Argentina. He told me to pack and ready myself, but I wouldn't leave until I saw Erik. I found him and gave him a picture so that he wouldn't forget me. I was heartbroken as the car drove away from the camp."

I finished and took a long drink of my coffee, the scalding temperature luckily had no effect on me.

"I know that was extremely vague, but...there are some things I experienced that I'd rather not talk about." I told her, but she had a look on understanding on her face.

"It's alright, but now I kind of understand the two of you better." she nodded. "Do you think Erik is handsome?"

I felt my face heat up. "You know Raven, only you could sit through what I just told you and then bounce back to gossip."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a gift. And I want to know what you think about him now."

"I suppose he's handsome, but romance has never been a part of my life." I told her, but then scrunched my face up in disgust. "I take that back. Riptide was always trying to seduce me when I was still with the Hellfire Club."

"That's gross!" Raven laughed in agreement. "What about Charles?"

"Raven!"

"I'm just curious. I think he's interested in you, and you haven't exactly said that you aren't interested," Raven cleverly stated, making me feel myself literally steam in embarrassment as my feelings fueled my mutation.

"Your brother...has his charms," I muttered, taking a bite of my turnover so that I didn't have to speak. She grinned triumphantly, making me roll my eyes.

"Would you like me to badger you about Hank, Raven?" I looked at her through narrowed eyes. She shrugged.

"Sure. I don't have any reservations about my love life."

I snorted as she dove into stories about Hank for the next half hour before we decided to head back.

The sun was setting as we returned, turning the sky vibrant orange and pink. The two of us dragged our haul inside and up the stairs, heading toward my room to cut tags and gossip some more. As we turned the bend, I ran head first into the firm chest of Erik. He blinked in slight shock as we stepped away from each other. He assessed the situation calmly and noticed the numerous bags we had in our hands.

"You went shopping." he stated. I awkwardly stood there, at a loss of words as Raven's words from the cafe rang in my head.

_Do you think Erik is handsome? _

He was wearing his black turtle neck that stretched sinfully across his chest and shoulders, enhancing the subtle muscles and strength he possessed. I'd always thought his eyes were a nice shade of blue, reminding me of water with a subtle tint of green. He was tall and I had to tilt my head slightly to meet his eyes. I admired his chiseled jawline and bone structure as I pondered over him. Erik had grown to be quite handsome, and I admitted to myself that he was in fact attractive. That and he'd been my friend when we were children, so I held him in high regards. Even though I was looking at him, a grown man, I could still see a tiny part of the child I'd been friends with still in his face. He was hardened by years of anger whilst plotting his revenge. There was a softness in his eyes whenever he looked at me, but that was because we were so close as children. I knew the others were wary of his glare and attitude of steel, but that didn't bother me. I knew what plagued his mind intimately, for I had grown up with the monster that had tortured us both, albeit in different ways.

I blinked as Raven nudged me, suppressing giggles.

"We did." I replied lamely, still absorbed in my own thoughts.

"Anneliese?" His brow furrowed slightly. "Are you feeling alright? You're acting strange."

"I'm fine. Never better," I assured him. He looked doubtful, but I didn't give him time to interrogate me.

"I'll see you later, Erik. I need to go and put these away," I told him before rushing off with Raven at my heels. I bolted into my room and slammed the door shut behind her.

"I blame you!" I accused, throwing my bags onto the bed. "If you hadn't ask me of my opinion of Erik, then..." I paused to think of the right word to describe what had happened. "_That _wouldn't have happened," I gesture madly, but she merely snickered._  
><em>

"It was actually kind of hilarious. You were staring at him intensely, and he looked at you look you were in a straight jacket or something."

I snarled, tipping over my bags and letting the clothes spill onto the blanket as I found a pair of scissors and began cutting the tags off of the clothes. She came over to help, and we worked in silence as I cooled off.

"I won't be able to face him now." I sighed.

"It wasn't as bad as you think, Annie," Raven assured. "I wouldn't worry about it unless he says something, but given that it's Erik, I don't think he will."

"Hopefully," I nodded. A soft knock brought our attention to the door. Raven called for the person to come in and it opened to Charles. I internally groaned.

_'Lovely, now all I'm going to be able to think about is what Raven said.' _

Charles raised a brow, but I just looked away from him before my mind decided to give him a once over as well.

"I was wandering when the two of you would get back," he said as he closed the door behind him. "Raven told me you both were going shopping."

"Thank you, Charles. I told Raven that I'd pay you back-"

"Nonsense," he shook his head. "You're one of us now. It's the least we could do," He repeated what Raven had told her earlier.

I looked up into his kind face before I could stop myself. His brilliant blue eyes held such compassion, which I was far from used to. Like Erik, he was handsome but in his own way. He had a sort of elegance about him much like the noble features of Erik. His face was more round and his lips were more full than Erik's. His build wasn't athletic as Erik's but he still had a nice body. I particularly liked when he wore a sweater over a dress shirt. It gave him a dignified look. That and I enjoyed the way he spoke and pronounced his words with his accent. Charles was a kindred spirit that saw the good in others, even if they couldn't see it themselves. He was the first, besides Erik, to look past my parentage. When the others had doubted me, Charles gave me the benefit of the doubt. Every day I felt like I didn't deserve his kindness or support.

"Annie," Raven called to me, making me snap back. I sighed, knowing I'd done it again.

"Are you-" Charles began, but I cut him off.

"I'm fine, Charles. I was just** really **deep in thought," I assured him. He looked bemused by my answer.

"I could tell," he chuckled. "Anyway, the reason I came was to tell the both of you that we will probably begin training tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do if we're to accomplish our goal."

Raven and I nodded in understanding.

"There's a bunker underneath the mansion that would work best for you and Alex given the nature of your talents," he said to me. The mention of Alex made me less than enthusiastic.

"I know that the two of you aren't on the best of terms as of the moment, but that should change in time," he stated in confidence. I smiled at him in appreciation.

"I'll leave you to settle in for the evening then. Good night."

"Good night, Charles," I bade farewell as he left the room, Raven calling a 'Night!' after him as well.

"You did it again," she mentioned as we started folding clothes.

"Oh, shut it!" I groaned. "If it weren't-"

"I know it's my fault," she huffed sarcastically, standing to put the clothes in the drawers. I helped and soon we were parting ways to ready ourselves for sleep.

* * *

><p><strong><em>They were arguing again. I didn't know what it was about, but then again the accusations and insults changed every night. I'd become accustomed to the shouting and the sound of glass shattering against the walls. Tonight was worse than usual. I could hear her shouts from my bedroom as I curled up into a ball under my blankets. I shoved the pillow over my head, but it didn't block out any of the noise coming from my parent's bedroom. My father's bellows seemed to reverberate through the walls of our home in Nuremberg. I could hear him ranting about experiments and something about a promotion, but his furious words were muffled by the bricks. Something hit one of the walls, crashing loudly and my mother screamed. Worried, I jumped out of bed, my tiny legs scurrying down the cold hall to the looming door that scared me. I grasped the brass knob in my small hand and pushed the heavy door open just wide enough that I could see. I peaked around the door to see my mother heatedly arguing with him. His face was contorted and red, while hers looked slightly frightened. He cut her off, hissing lowly at her. Her eyes widened at what he said, and a stream of curses and insults were thrown at him. Father looked like a crazed beast, ready to attack. His hand reared back and he struck my mother across the face. Her head snapped to the side with a sickening crack. At the time I hadn't realized, but now I knew his mutation had released his absorbed energy upon her in his fury. <em>**

_**Her body slumped to the floor motionlessly, and my father stood over her, panting. Moments later, he sank down beside her in a panic. His hands hovered over her, as if he were afraid to touch her. Her eyes were wide open and unseeing, which frightened me. He began wailing her name in agony, holding her body to his chest, burying his face into her hair.**_

_**"Mama?" I called in fear, and Father's head snapped up to look at me in the doorway. That was the only time I'd seen him look truly regretful and sorry about something. My presence only made his lamenting worse.**_

* * *

><p>I jolted awake, sweat covering my brow from reliving one of the many memories I'd give anything to forget. The clock on the beside table read two in the morning, making me groan. I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, standing to turn the small lamp on. I pulled my hair back into a sloppy ponytail as I trudged from the room. I thought briefly about seeing what Erik was doing, but then I remembered it was an insane hour in the morning. I decided I'd go and browse through the library that Raven had shown me when we'd arrived. She told me to borrow any book I liked, telling me that Charles complained that they gathered dust from not being read.<p>

I tip toed down the hall, desperately trying to manage to not wake anyone. I made it down stairs and to the library with no trouble, using the moonlight to see where I was headed. I turned on one of the lamps inside and perused the titles on the shelves, nothing sparking my interest until I came upon a copy of _Treasure Island. _It had been a favorite of mine since I was a child. My mother used to read it to me when it was raining outside, or before I went to sleep. I opened the leather bound pages and began to read about Jim Hawkins.

"Couldn't sleep?" A voice asked. I startled, turning around to meet the gaze of Charles. I met his gaze sheepishly. I shook my head and sighed.

"Here. I find that a steaming mug of hot tea always soothes the nerves." He handed me a ceramic mug that was filled with brown liquid. He held his own mug, and went to sit on the couch across from me.

"Thank you," I whispered, skimming my finger around the rim of the mug.

"I felt your mind's distress. What troubles you?"

"I'm sorry that I woke you!" I exclaimed, feeling guilty. He chuckled softly.

"No harm done. I was already awake and working in my study. May I ask what was so frightening?" he asked, kindly looking at me. He made me feel as if I could tell him anything, just with one look.

"A memory." I said softly, remembering the vacant look in my mother's eyes. Charles gestured to his temple.

"May I?" he asked politely, concern etched across his face. I mulled over it my mind, unsure if I wanted anyone else to know about my mother. Erik was the only one who knew what had happened, and it was even hard to tell him. But I trusted Charles. I nodded slowly, and I then felt a tingling in the back of my mind. I could see the memory all over again, and I desperately held back the tears gathering in my eyes. Charles looked sympathetic as he withdrew from my mind. Reaching forward, he took my hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"I am sorry for your loss, as well as all that you were forced to endure." He sincerely said, gazing into my eyes.

"It was a long time ago," I said. "I've learned to live with my demons."

"But you should not face them alone," he replied compassionately. "You're with friends now, people that care about you. People that would help you."

"And for that I'm grateful," I responded genuinely. He released my hand and I took a drink of the tea. We sat in companionable silence, both reading in the dim light until I couldn't suppress a yawn. He grinned at me.

"Perhaps we should head off to bed so that we're able to function properly tomorrow," he suggested. I reluctantly agreed, and he walked me back to where my room was. He took my hand in his as he said good night, the warmth of it comforting, before we parted ways. I watched him until he disappeared down the hall. Then, instead of going into my own room, I went to see if Erik was awake. I could see light seeping out from underneath the door, and I felt relieved. I knocked softly. There was shuffling from inside of his room before the door swung open. Erik looked worn, but he smiled slightly upon seeing me.

"Anneliese. What has you prowling about at this hour?" he teased lightly.

"I couldn't sleep," I told him, shrugging nonchalantly.

"You had a nightmare," he stated knowingly. He knew me far too well. I nodded, snuggling into him as he pulled me into an embrace. I felt at ease wrapped in his arms. He pulled us inside his room and shut the door behind him.

"Which one?" he whispered into my hair as he rested his cheek on top of my head.

"When my mother died," I murmured. This time I didn't fight the tears as they slid down my cheeks. Sobs started to rack my body, and Erik held me tightly to him as he hushed me, whispering softly my ear. It seemed like ages before I was calm enough to gather myself back together. Erik stroked my hair in comfort, his warmth soothing me. Without speaking, he took my hand and led me to the bed. He laid beside me, still running his fingers through my hair.

"Sleep." he whispered, kissing my forehead lightly. I moved closer so that I was curled up against his chest, and he placed an arm around my waist. I closed my eyes, listening to his rhythmic breathing. Slowly darkness engulfed me, and I fell into a dreamless slumber.


	7. Chapter VI

I awoke the next morning to hear a faint shuffling on the opposite side of the room. My eyes flickered open, heavy with sleep, and I glanced around the room drowsily, using my elbows to pull myself up. I had to squint through the sunlight that was streaming in through the window, warming the empty sheets beside me. I recognized the back of Erik's head, so I flopped back onto the bed with a groan. It felt far too early to even be up and functioning, but this was Erik.

"You know, I never took you for a morning person." I stated, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hands.

"I never took you for someone that snores." he said back jokingly.

"I do not snore." I protested, sitting up to glare at him, but my mind went blank. Erik stood before me in nothing but a fluffy white towel wrapped precariously low around his waist. I had to take a deep breath and force myself to look into his eyes instead of at his lithe chest as he turned to face me, holding a white t-shirt in his hands.

"I disagree. You could rival a freight train." He said, amusement crinkling his eyes.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lensherr. I'll formulate my revenge accordingly." I replied, slipping out of his bed to stretch. As my bones popped, I glanced at the clock on the dresser. It was five till nine, making me sigh. Surely Charles would be looking for all of us soon to begin our training. I decided I'd better go and grab a shower and get dressed before that happened, so I went to pass Erik just as he was moving to his still unpacked suitcase to grab a pair of sweat pants. I ran head first into him. He wrapped his arm around me to steady me, his eyes twinkling in silent laughter. I ignored him and looked to the suitcase on the foot of the bed where he'd been sleeping. All of his possessions were still folded neatly inside, making me frown. I was still worried that he would steal away in the dead of night and leave us like he already had.

"You still haven't unpacked?" I asked sadly, glancing up at him. He didn't answer me. Instead, he stared intently at me, his gaze unwavering. It made me realize that his arm was still tightly around my waist. I cleared my throat and pushed gently away from him.

"Put some clothes on before you scare someone." I murmured before walking from his room. I padded down the hall and into my room, grabbing random clothes and heading to the shower. I was walking down the stairs to go to the kitchen when I ran into Raven.

"Good morning." she greeted merrily, her smile bright and chipper.

"How do you people do it? I can't function until after noon and that's with coffee." I grumbled as she pranced down the stairs with me trudging behind her.

"I'm just a morning person." she shrugged, leading me into the kitchen where everyone else already was. I was the last to rise I suppose.

"Here. Figured you could use this." said Hank softly, pushing a mug of piping caffeine into my hands. He looked as tired as I felt with dark bags underneath of this blue eyes. I sighed happily.

"You're my new best friend, Hank. Next to Raven, that is." I said, winking at the blonde.

"What about Erik?" she asked playfully, making me look to the man in question.

"I won't acknowledge his friendship until he takes back what he said and says I don't snore." Or until he unpacks his goddamn suitcase. He looked up at me blandly from his own breakfast, giving no initiative to give in to my wishes.

"You two slept together?" Sean guffawed, his jaw dropping.

"Get your mind out of the gutter." I rolled my eyes and pulled on his ear, making him yelp. "Just because two people sleep in the same room or bed together doesn't mean they are procreating."

"Perhaps we should change the subject." Charles suggested, giving me a disapproving look. I felt my stomach drop, so I slid into the seat between Sean and Raven, sipping my coffee quietly.

"I think it would be most beneficial if we broke up into teams to maximize our powers." said Charles. "I will cycle through to help everybody where they need it. Anneliese, since your mutation is similar to Alex's, the two of you will practice together first. Once the two of you have finished breakfast, we can head down to the bunker."

I felt the pin pricks of Alex's glare in my side as he scowled at me, but I just ignored him and calmly nodded at Charles. I finished my coffee at the same time Alex finished scoffing down his cereal.

"Aren't you hungry?" Raven asked as she took a bite of toast, wrinkling her nose at me. I shrugged as I rinsed off my mug and silently took Alex's bowl to clean.

"Not really. If I eat too soon after I wake up, I feel nauseous. Give me another hour or two." I explained. This appeased her, and Charles stood, folding up his newspaper as he saw that Alex and I were ready.

"Follow me." he said. Alex and I stiffly followed him to a storage room to pick up a couple dummies to practice on.

"My stepfather took the possibility of nuclear war quite seriously." informed Charles as he pried open the reinforced metal doors to the bunker. He flicked a light switch on the wall so that rows of light bulbs on either side of the room buzzed to life, bathing the once pitch black room in yellow light.

"That's why he had this bunker built down here." he said. Alex and I followed him to the middle of the concrete room, placing our dummies about a yard away from one another. "I thought we could use it as a practice range of sorts."

"You don't think I'm going to blow through the walls?" Alex asked. Charles chuckled at the idea in amusement.

"He had this place built to withstand a nuclear bomb. I think it can handle the two of you." he gestured for us to move back a bit for better aim.

"You know, when I do this, bad things tend to happen." Alex murmured darkly as we retreated back farther.

"That's because you can't control it. It controls you." Charles explained. "That's why we're here, Alex. It's why we're training."

"If you're serious about me doing this, you might want to get back." Alex advised as we faced the dummy.

"All right." Charles agreed. "You coming as well?" he asked, turning to me. I shook my head.

"I'll be fine." I assured.

"Your funeral." grumbled Alex, so I sent him an answering glare.

"Shall I shut the door?" Charles inquired as he stepped outside of the bunker. At Alex's nod in confirmation, he pulled the heavy doors shut and locked it. Alex turned to face the dummy, taking a deep breath in through his mouth. I stood behind him at a safe watching distance. He cracked his knuckles before his fingers curled into fists. He aimed at the dummy before releasing a scalding beam of energy. I could feel its burning heat as it pulse throughout the room hap hazardously. It took control over him as he lost his balance and it ignited flames throughout the bunker. As he swiveled towards me, I put up a cocoon of my own energy to protect me. Alex managed to stop and regain his balance, gazing about the room in disappointment. The red alarm blared as it sensed the fire in side the concrete room. The doors swung open and a chuckling Charles looked inside.

"Oh my God." His smile fell in shock, and he reached for a fire extinguisher.

"I'll take care of this." I assured him before closing my eyes and willing my body to absorb the energy around us. The flames died down, leaving the floor and ceiling scorched.

"I will teach you to control this, Alex." he said in determination, never losing hope. He then glanced at me.

"Your turn?" he asked. "Would you like us to leave?"

"If it'll make you feel safer. It shouldn't be a problem, though." I said, looking at the intact dummies. Charles nodded and the two back away from me to watch. I held up my hand, allowing flames to lick teasingly along my skin. I allowed it to grow to the size of a baseball before hurtling it straight at the dummy's head. A hole was burnt right through it, the plastic melting, its odor wafting towards us. Alex scowled at me, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hm. Perhaps we should try having you melt objects with a higher melting point. That should prove a challenge, yes?" Charles suggested.

"Like metal?" I cocked my head to the side thoughtfully.

"Yes. Erik should be able to help you with that, don't you think?"

"He's my next stop I guess." I chuckled. I walked past them and upstairs to find Erik. He was outside glaring at a satellite dish, making me snicker in amusement.

"What on earth are you doing?" I asked, leaning on the railing beside him. He glanced at me.

"Charles believes that I am capable of moving it." he sighed.

"Have you tried?" I asked, and he gave me an exasperated look.

"If I hadn't I wouldn't be in this dilemma, Anneliese. It proves to be rather difficult."

"I think you can do it. It'll just take time and practice." I shrugged. "You just have to apply yourself and not give up."

"And what is Charles having you do?" he asked, straying from the topic.

"Melt metal. Hence the reason I am here, Magneto." I teased, using the code name Raven had given him. Erik arched a brow at me, smirking.

"And your first thought was of me. How touching."

"Don't flatter yourself." I laughed. "Are we going to stand around, or will you help me?"

"I suppose..." he trailed off, reaching into his pocket before pulling something out. A silver quarter floated up into the air in front of me, and I felt sick as something clicked inside my brain. Erik hadn't noticed, as he had crossed his arms and looked to me expectantly.

"Don't you have anything a little more difficult? This is too easy." I said, covering up my panic.

"Everybody has to start somewhere." he informed, gesturing to the coin. I felt my heart pick up speed at the familiarity of the situation.

_Beweg di Münzen bevor ich bis drei gezählt habe. (Move the coin on the count of three.) _

I could feel my hands trembling at I looked at the coin, hating what it was doing to me. Such a small and simple piece of metal was making my skin crawl at the memories it brought crashing to the front of my mind. I swallowed thickly and tried to concentrate on the object, but all I could think of was my father pointing the muzzle of a gun at me as Erik watched helplessly. Now, even though I knew it wasn't true, my mind was telling me it was Erik's finger on the trigger as he was the one procuring the coin.

_Ein_

I lifted my hand, allowing the flames to dance upon it as I gazed at the coin in fear. My head started to ache and my body felt overheated, which was unusual for me.

_Zwei_

I could hear my father's laughter ringing in my ears, shouting "_Wunderbar_!" (wonderful) His maniacal gaze replaced the features of Erik, his face morphing into that of a demon.

"Anneliese.!" It called, making my blood boil as I clenched my fist. "Anneliese!"

_Drei _

"STOP!" I screamed, flames shooting out of me. Erik ducked out of the way in time, avoiding any sever burns. Realization hit me like a bucket of ice water as I looked down into his astonished eyes. Hot tears pricked my eyes before sliding down my cheeks, hissing as they became steam on my burning skin.

"Anneliese?" he reached a calming out towards me as if I were a frightened animal, but I knew it wasn't okay.

"Erik...I-I..." I stammered. My fight or flight instinct took over, and I found myself fleeing from him. My feet pounded against the gravel, my vision blurred as I went where I could get away. I made a sharp turn into the garden where my ankle caught on a tree root, sending me catapulting into the grass. Sobs shook painfully through my chest as I scrambled into a sitting position, backing myself against the tree and burying my head in my knees.

"Anneliese!" A new voice cried in shock, footsteps pounding over to me. They fell onto the ground next to me, shaking my shoulders. I saw Alex looking at me in fright. "What's...Are you...What hap-" His voice wavered, sounding like I was underwater and could only catch muted scraps of what he was saying. I pushed him away from me, curling in on myself for protection. His presence disappeared, leaving me alone to wallow in my mind as memories of my father broke out of the cages I'd carefully locked away in my mind.

"Papa...Papa..."I found myself muttering between hysterical sobs. I dug my nails into my arms, the pain almost a relief from my mind. Soft hands then gently pried my hands away from my arms, stopping any further self mutilation.

"What happened?" a calm, soothing voice asked.

"I don't know. I saw her running and followed her here. I just found her like this." Alex's voice wavered.

"Anneliese, can you hear me?" called the gentle voice as the hands ran up and down my cooling skin in comfort. "Anneliese, you are safe. Nobody is going to harm you."

The hands pulled my arms away from my knees and then carefully tilted my chin up to look up at them. Baby blue eyes met mine and a calming presence entered my hysterical mind, lightly draping itself around me like a blanket. His hands cupped my face, his thumbs smoothing away the tears.

"Charles..." I whimpered, fresh tears flooding to my eyes. He hushed me, stroking back my hair with one of his hands.

"You are here at the mansion. You're safe." he stated gently. I swallowed and nodded.

"Take deep breaths."

I did as he said, taking in one shaky breath after another.

"I'm sorry." I looked down dejectedly. "I don't know why...but I just snapped. I almost hurt Erik."

"Erik is fine." he assured. "A little confused if anything. What happened, Anneliese?"

"I...I went to ask Erik for help." I murmured. "He had a coin." I choked, my breathing turning to hyperventilating once more.

"Hey, hey. Look at me." Charles soothed.

"It wasn't his fault. It was just a silly little coin!" I said, disgusted with myself. "It...reminded me of my father. He...he put a gun to my head. He said he would pull the trigger if Erik didn't move it...when he got to three."

Charles just looked at me sadly, and I was afraid of what he was going to say.

"It isn't silly, Anne. As much as we want to move on, sometimes it is painful and can take a long while. Even little things can cause a great deal of pain." Charles pulled me to him, and I desperately wrapped my arms around his neck, biting my lip to stop more tears. His warm embrace surrounded me protectively, making me feel safe.

"He wasn't always like this." I murmured. "Before Mama died, he used to laugh and smile. He'd tuck me in at night and read me fairy tales. I just want my Papa back."

Charles stroked my head and I felt him press a kiss to my hair.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Raven shouted in worry, Hank, Sean and Erik flanking her. I pulled back from Charles and stood just in time for her to tackle me.

"Are you alright? What's the matter?" she drilled, tears welling in her eyes as well. I shook my head and offered a tired smile.

"I'm okay." I assured, and then looked to Erik. He seemed hesitant to come any closer, so I went over to him.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, looking at him in defeat.

"I should have realized, Anneliese..." he trailed off sorrowfully, shaking his head.

"Give it to me." I said firmly. He opened his mouth to protest, but I put my hand expectantly out in front of me. He reluctantly placed the quarter in my hand. I glared at it and a flame burst up from my hand, the coin slowly melting into a pool on my hand. I let it drip into the grass, letting it slip through my fingers with all of the resentment and bitterness I had for my father, Emma, Azazel, and Achim. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to hate Janos as I hated the others. He may have been a pain in my ass, but he was the closest thing I had to a friend in that hell hole. I hoped that somewhere deep down inside of my father was the man he used to me. I hoped that maybe I could pull out what salvageable goodness was left in him.

"This is the last time I allow my fear of my father to control me." I said darkly. Charles placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you." I said softly before I left them there, staring after me. I went tiredly up to my room, sitting down on the edge of my bed in exhaustion.

"Anneliese?"

I looked up to see Alex shifting nervously in my door way. I looked to him expectantly.

"I'm sorry, for judging you." he murmured, coming further into my room.

"It's not the first time, Alex. Don't worry." I sighed.

"We're all screwed up I guess." he joked weakly. I gave a sad chuckle.

"Yeah." I agreed. He sank down next to me on the bed and put a hesitant arm around my shoulders. I smile slightly, which he returned with a small smile of his own.


	8. Chapter VII

**A/N: So I saw Days of Future Past, and I loved it! This changes the direction of _Meine Liebe_ slightly, but not enough to deter the overall plot. I've decided to write my story from First Class up until Last Stand and then write Days of Future Past. I can't say much more due to the fact that there are so many things that could be spoiled for DOFP! But as usual, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much I am writing it! Also, a trailer for Meine Liebe has been posted to YouTube. Check my profile for information on the trailer. Thank you! :)**

* * *

><p>A sigh of annoyance slid past my lips as I rolled over and squinted through the darkness at the clock. I groaned as it read 2:00 am, running a hand through the tangled mess that was my hair. Sleep refused to come, leaving me to toss and turn all night. The past three days had left me exhausted as I trained vigorously, determined to be in full control of my mutation as well as emotions. My mind and body were both hurting and tired, yet I couldn't find peace. My brain was restless with anxiety as I feared what the future had in store. We couldn't let my father succeed, yet it seemed impossible at the moment. We were nowhere near prepared or skilled enough to fight the Hellfire Club, this I knew without a doubt. My mother's face haunted me, reminding me of the volatile and dangerous nature of my father. Her face would transform into Erik, Charles, Raven, Sean, Alex, Hank. Seeing their lifeless eyes looking back at me kept my eyes open as I stared at the ceiling to avoid looking into their dull, blank gazes.<p>

I threw the sheets off of my legs, stumbling out of bed as I searched for the lamp switch. Yellow light flooded into the room, and I padded over to the dresser to pull on jeans and a jumper. I ran a comb through my hair before hastily pulling it up and out of my face. As I left my room, I grabbed the purse Raven had given me. I stealthily tip toed through the dark halls of the mansion, careful not to alert anyone that was still awake. I managed to slip out the front door unnoticed, and I began to walk into town. It was nearly a half an hour walk, but I used the time to clear my head. The fresh, crisp air was a soothing balm, cooling my flushed skin. The only lights in the town radiated from the street lamps and hole in the wall bars. I found myself ducking into the closest pub, entering the heady haze of cigarette smoke. Few were still in the bar, most likely the town drunks and frequenters that had nowhere else to go at this lonely hour. I sat on a ripped stool at the bar, leaning tiredly on it.

"Can I get ya something, sweetheart?" the bartender asked as he wiped the sticky surface of the bar with a limp rag.

"Whiskey, please. No ice," I ordered softly. The man grabbed a clean rocks glass, pouring the amber liquid generously. I nodded in thanks as he handed it to me, taking a sip and relishing the burn of the alcohol in the back of my throat.

"Hey, lady. Don't I know you?" a gruff voice asked as a bulky figure sank heavily next to me. This broke me from my descent into self pity, madness, and worry.

"What are you doing here?" I looked in shock up at Logan, the man we had failed to recruit. His dark brown eyes were narrowed as he stared at me suspiciously.

"Could ask you the same thing," he accused, nodding his head to the bartender for a bourbon. "Where are your partners in crime?"

"Not recruiting, so you're safe," I teased, sipping my whiskey. "Which is kind of a shame. We could use someone like you, tiger."

"Not interested," he threw back his drink, sticking a cigar in his mouth. "You don't strike me as the type to be drinking cheap whiskey alone."

"What? You want me to spill all of my problems, get drunk and cry all over you?" I snorted into my glass. "That can easily be arranged, but we'd be here a very long time."

"That bad, huh?" He cocked a thick brow at me, smirking in amusement.

"You have no idea," I sighed. I was surprised when Logan bought me another drink, his eyes strangely knowing. We sat in companionable silence, nursing our drinks as I tiredly held back a yawn.

"You got a name?" he grunted, retrieving a cigar from his jacket pocket and lighting up. He puffed on the end, eyeing me as he exhaled.

"Anneliese."

I offered him my hand, which he hesitantly shook with a near bone crushing grip.

"Logan," he stated despite knowing I already knew his name. He threw back his bourbon, ordering another.

"You gonna talk or do I really have to get you drunk?" he asked, making me laugh in amusement.

"I'm here because I don't know what the hell I'm doing," I sighed. Logan cocked his head with a furrowed brow.

"My father is like us, and he's so powerful. I've seen him kill and torture so many people, even ones that I love. Now, I have to stop him or lives will be put into jeopardy. People that are important to me will die at his hands if he isn't stopped, but I don't think I can do it."

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?" I gaped at his guttural reply.

"I said, bullshit. Listen, lady, the only way you're going to fail is if you let yourself fail. You're giving up before even starting. I don't know you, but something tells me that you're dangerous too. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something about it."

"Dangerous in the sense that I'm a literal time bomb. I nearly killed my dearest friend the other day," I snorted.

"What do you do, anyway?" Logan inquired.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," I teased. Logan smirked as he exhaled a breath of smoke. I finished my whiskey before paying and standing.

"Coming, tiger?" I waited for him patiently, leading him outside from the prying eyes of the bartender. I drew him into an alley before letting fire ripple from my hand, lighting up Logan's face with golds and reds.

"I'm not surprised you're a full of hot air," he mocked as I extinguished my flame. I rolled my eyes, expectantly waiting for him. His hands balled into fists before bone claws slid from between his knuckles, ripping the skin.

"Does it hurt?" I hissed.

"I'm used to it," he shrugged, leaning against the alley wall. I gently lifted his wrist, inspecting the claws in intrigue. They slid back beneath his skin, which meshed back together instantaneously.

"Thanks, Logan. Never thought that I'd be confessing my fears to a stranger in the middle of the night at a bar, but I truly do appreciate it. I'd better be going though."

"Need a ride?" he asked. I looked at him in shock, but shook my head with a smile.

"Thank you, but no. I wouldn't be able to sneak back in. The last thing I need is an interrogation as to why I left at 2 in the morning."

"See ya around then, Anneliese."

"Goodbye, Logan," I grinned before trekking back to the mansion.

* * *

><p>"Where were you last night?"<p>

Erik stood behind me, his eyes narrowed as I turned to face him. His expression was stern, his lips set in a thin line. He was standing in the doorway to the courtyard, barring my path should I try to go back inside. My peace had been broken, forcing me to abandon my coffee and book as my friend confronted me.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went into town," I replied.

"At two in the morning? The least you could have done was tell one of us."

"I didn't want to worry you, but you're right," I sighed. "I kept thinking about what could go wrong. We aren't prepared to confront my father, and I was afraid. I was letting him get to me again. I was letting my fear get inside my head. But...I think we might have a chance. Together, we might be able to stop him. Sorry for worrying you."

Erik nodded in acceptance before sitting beside me on the bench.

"Did you need something last night?" I asked, reaching for my coffee.

"I was checking in on you," he replied simply. I took his hand in mine, feeling a smile pull at my lips. "However, I knew something was amiss. It was far too quiet for you to have been in your room. As you well know, your snoring is quite powerful."

I scoffed and playfully pushed him. "I do not snore," I declared before drinking my coffee.

"Come on, love birds. You're going to miss it!" Raven's voice sang teasingly from the door.

"Miss what?" I called back.

"Sean's going to jump out the window."

"What?" I gasped, leaping to my feet and racing to follow Raven. She was cackling the entire way as Erik strode to catch up with us. She led us to the library window where Alex was leaning out, a grin of amusement plastered onto his face. Raven leaned over him to peer outside as well, leaving me to exchange a confused look with Erik. I squeezed in next to Alex, and Erik leaned over me, caging me against his chest as we popped our heads outside. I leaned back against him, warmth radiating pleasantly off of his chest. We followed the gaze of the others to the window where Hank had set up his lab.

"Hank's hooking him up to his invention. It's supposed to let him fly," Raven explained.

"And here I thought you were going to let Sean commit suicide," I deadpanned. We watched as Sean cautiously climbed out the window, patiently sitting as Hank and Charles gave him instructions.

"Now, remember. Scream as hard as you can," Charles stated.

"You need to sound waves to be supersonic," Hank continued. "Catch them at the right angle and they should carry you."

"They should carry me," Sean looked to Hank with uncertainty. "That's reassuring."

"Good luck," Charles pat him on the back before returning inside along with Hank. "And don't forget to scream."

Sean breathed deeply, saying a prayer before spreading his arms out. I bit my lip in amusement as his harness made him resemble a yellow and black flying squirrel. Sean gingerly leaned forward, allowing himself to fall from the ledge. Laughter followed from us all as he gave a pitiful yelp before he plummeted into the hedges below.

"Are you alright?" I called down with a chuckle.

"You try falling from a window and then tell me if you're alright," was his irritated reply, but he gingerly got to his feet, rubbing his backside with a curse. We retreated from the window, still chuckling from his failure to scream in time. I walked to the adjacent room, crossing my arms at the two men inside.

"I think that he wasn't high enough," I stated. Hank scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"We couldn't just throw him off the roof," he mumbled.

"Then how do you expect him to learn to use his mutation?" I disagreed. Charles and Hank glanced at each other, noting that I had a point.

"Another time. I doubt Sean will agree twice in the same day, let alone from a higher point," said Charles. "On another note, perhaps a break from exercising our mutations would be beneficial. We should also train our bodies and strengthen our physicality."

"Of course," I agreed.

"After lunch, Hank and I are going to test his physical capability. Would you like to join us?" offered the telepath.

"Sure," I grinned. "But I have a feeling neither of us will be as fast as you, Hank."

"Oh, I don't know about that," he weakly protested.

* * *

><p>"Now, if you want to beat me this time, you have to set the beast free," Charles instructed as Hank reluctantly kicked off his trainers and pulled off his socks. I squeezed his shoulder in reassurance as I stood beside him with Charles on his other side. I tightened the tie in my hair before taking a running stance. Charles and Hank readied themselves as well as Charles counted down.<p>

"On your marks," he began. "Get set, go!"

We all pushed off with a burst of competitive energy, our eyes focused ahead. It took only moments before Hank surpassed us, leaving me in the dust with Charles. We lost sight of him as he sprinted around the bend. I glanced over at the telepath, grinning as he winked at me. A laugh burst pleasantly from Charles as a hand was placed on both of our shoulders. Charles reached over, shaking Hank's hand as he complimented the other mutant. We all slowed to a halt to catch our breath.

"Congratulations, my friend," he praised. "Robert Louis Stevenson would have been proud."

I beamed proudly at Hank, throwing my arms around him in an embrace that had me laughing as he flushed a furious crimson. I was about to offer my own compliments when Hank stiffened. I paused, looking behind us to see Alex sauntering our way. His lips were twisted mockingly as he eyed Hank's feet.

"Impressive, Hank," he stated with no sincerity, slapping him on the back. "With feet like those, all you need is a red nose. Right, Bozo?"

Anger bubbled inside of me at the look of utter hurt and contempt that took over Hank's otherwise kind face. The boy turned dejectedly, throwing a glare at the blond.

"I'm done here," he sighed as he trekked back to the mansion.

"Thank you, Alex," Charles said as he placed his hands on his waist with a tone of disapproval. I watched Hank sadly. He stopped by a window he was passing, weakly waving to who I assumed to be either Raven or Sean, before retreating inside. Charles guided Alex through his own training, having us race against one another and practice endurance exercises before Alex too returned inside.

"You know, if we had kept going with Hank, I think I would've out ran you," I teased as we, too, finished for the day. Charles raised a brow with a smirk.

"Are you positive?"

"100% positive," I crossed my arms, and then darted off. I heard Charles curse behind me as he sprinted to catch up. I chuckled as I turned to look back at him, but any laughter morphed into a yelp as I clumsily lost my footing and plummeted to the ground. I rolled onto my back with a pained laugh as Charles looked down at me in worry.

"Anne, are you alright?" He hurriedly offered me a hand, which I took. As he pulled me up, his eyes widened as I pulled back with all my might, bringing him crashing to the ground with me. I scrambled to get up as Charles landed next to me.

"Oh no you don't," he grunted, wrapping his arms around my waist as we struggled to our feet. I yanked to get out of his grasp, but the professor was stronger than one was led to believe. A peal of hysterical squeals burst from me as Charles tickled his fingers across my sides.

"Ah, stop it!" I giggled, kicking in vain.

"That was a dirty trick, love," Charles chided, stopping to softly speak in my ear. I settled down, panting from the exertion of running mixed with uncontrollable laughter.

"I would say I'm sorry, only I'm not," I smiled breathlessly. His blue gaze was twinkling with mirth as he tucked hair that had escaped from my ponytail behind my ear.

"You truly are a delight to have around. Where were you all these years?" he mused, taking my hand in his as we continued our adventure back to the house.

"All over the world," I replied. Charles opened the back door, gesturing for me to go in. We both sighed as the cool air hit us, as both of us were grimy and hot from our excursion.

"I'm in desperate need of a shower," I groaned as I felt the sweat cooling on my skin, wrinkling my nose. "I'm disgusting."

"You're still beautiful nonetheless," stated Charles. I felt a blush work its way up my neck, thankful that I was already flush from extensive physical activity.

"Charles?"

We both turned as Hank appeared with Sean. I was slightly disappointed by the interruption, but I took my leave for a much needed shower as the boys led Charles off, both talking animatedly.

I felt refreshed after my shower, glad to be smelling of soap rather than layers of sweat. I changed into one of the many dresses Raven had thrown into my closet without my knowing, and then went to find Erik. He was absent from his room, and thus I found myself wandering around the mansion in search of him. It took what felt like an hour to find him, but he was lounging in an armchair in the parlor, listening to music playing on the radio as he read through files I assumed he'd stolen from the C.I.A. He glanced at me as I entered the room, his lips twitching upwards slightly as he saw me. He closed the manila folder, which indeed was stamped with a federal seal, and placed it on the coffee table. As I approached him, I frowned as I read the name on the file: _Shaw, Sebastian_.

"Am I mentioned in the file?" I asked, staring at the offending object.

"Only in passing," Erik assured. "It's unsurprising how little information they actually have."

I disregarded the file, and instead slid onto Erik's lap with a soft smile. He kissed my hair fondly as he wrapped an arm around me. We sat in content silence, listening to the melody flowing from the radio. I rested my head against his shoulder while Erik allowed his eyes to close in rest. As I allowed my gaze to wander, a black mark that plagued our past caught my attention.

**214782**

The black stigma marred Erik's forearm, and I felt nothing but grief and guilt as I looked at it. Reaching forward, I gently ran my fingers over the tattoo, stroking them as if I foolishly believed that would erase the years of pain and loss. Erik's eyes snapped open to watch me. I took his strong arm in my hands, bringing it close to me to inspect it.

"I wish it was just a bad dream," I lamented softly, gently placing a kiss to the symbol of his struggle. I then turned his arm over so as to not look at the string of numbers any longer. Erik's large hand engulfed mine, the warmth of his skin comforting. He patted my leg to signal that he wanted to stand. I was afraid that I'd done something wrong, but he merely pulled me to stand in front of him.

"May I have this dance?" he murmured, a smile playing at his lips. The music on the radio had changed to a gentle and slow song, the notes sweet and deep. I placed my hand on his shoulder, and we began to sway to the song.

_Wise men say only fools rush in_  
><em>But I can't help falling in love with you<em>  
><em>Shall I stay, would it be a sin?<em>  
><em>If I can't help falling in love with you<em>

"Erik?" I broke the silence, nervously chewing on my lip. He waited patiently for me to continue, but I wasn't sure if I should. With a deep breath, I asked a question that had been in the back of my mind for many years.

"Where were you? I mean, what were you doing all these years?"

"I made a promise to you, Anneliese. What was that promise?" he asked tenderly, pulling me closer to his broad chest.

"Ich werde kommen und dich finden," (I will come and find you.) I replied.

"I've been searching for you since the moment I was freed."

"Searching for me, or my father?" I asked sadly, doubt in my mind as I remembered what Emma had said the night Erik had located my father's yacht.

**_He's here to kill you._**

"For you both. He took you from me, Anneliese. I knew if I wanted to find him, I'd find you as well. It took nearly half my lifetime, but I've finally found you. Imagine the lives we might have had if he hadn't taken you away."

_Like a river flows surely to the sea_  
><em>Darling so it goes<em>  
><em>Some things are meant to be<em>

"Who knows what might have happened, Erik. It's in the past, but what we have is a future."

Erik was silent for a moment, but he leaned his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes with a sigh, relishing his presence after so many years of wondering where he was and hoping he had lived.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_  
><em>For I can't help falling in love with you<em>

"Anneliese..."

I opened my eyes to find Erik's gaze intently focused on me. He stopped moving, pulling his hand from mine to cradle my cheek. His thumb stroked my skin, tilting my face up to his. I couldn't discern what emotions were swimming in his blue eyes, but he seemed to be conflicted.

"Erik?" I questioned quietly as he leaned closer.

_Like a river flows surely to the sea  
>Darling so it goes<br>Some things are meant to be_

Erik blinked, his expression hardening, before pulling away from me to which I found myself sighing at the loss of his embrace.

"Charles is expecting me. I'll see you in the morning, Anneliese," he bade farewell, swiftly retrieving the stolen files and briskly leaving the parlor. An emptiness settled inside of me as I watched him leave, and confusion clouded my mind. Tears pricked my eyes as I was left alone with a love song and empty arms.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_  
><em>For I can't help falling in love with you<em>  
><em>For I can't help falling in love with you<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley <strong>


	9. Chapter VIII

**Bonjour, mes amis! I'm finally up and running once more now that I have some time on my hands to work on my stories once again. I apologize for how short this chapter is and how long of a wait you've all endured, but I'm super busy now that the semester has started again. Now, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Sexy!" Alex remarked sarcastically as Hank fiddled with the remaining straps on the prototype attached to the blond's chest. Hank ignored the remark, instead informing them of what the invention was designed for. The four of us were standing inside of the bunker after Hank had announced that his design was finished and ready to be tested. I left with them before seeing Erik, still confused and slightly hurt from his departure the night before. I'd be lying to myself if I said that I wasn't disappointed that he had pulled away. I felt safe and warm in his arms, and that was a feeling that I wanted again. I kept wondering if I had done something to deter him, which only made my concern escalate. It hadn't helped my worries that Erik was elusive throughout the entire day. He was always conveniently busy or missing from his usual places.<p>

"Well, this is just the prototype," Hank stated, pulling me from my thoughts. "The real one will look considerably better. It will be a whole suit. See, these sensors measure your energy output. This panel focuses it and the excess is absorbed."

"Try hitting the one in the middle. Just the one in the middle, mind," Charles instructed and then ushered the rest of us from the room.

"Good luck," we chimed before the bunker doors were firmly locked. Soon, the fire alarm blared with flashing red lights. Upon entering the bunker once more, we were met with the sight of Alex thrown back on the ground and all the targets were on fire except the one he'd been told to aim for. I went over to offer Alex my hand up, which he surprisingly took.

"Don't worry, Alex. With practice, you'll master your abilities. Rarely does one succeed on their first try," Charles encouraged. "And speaking of first tries, I believe it is your turn, Anneliese."

"And what is your challenge for me?" I inquired. Charles grinned boyishly before taking a pistol that Hank handed to him.

"You should see your face," Alex snorted with a smirk. Indeed I must have looked foolish as my mouth parted in astonishment and fear.

"No worries, I won't be shooting at you, if that is what concerns you," Charles corrected. "No, I want you to melt a moving bullet before it hits the target."

"Well, I sure as hell haven't done that before," I mumbled as Charles squeezed my shoulder. "Or any object that moved faster than Janos running away from me."

"I believe in you," he stated. "Now, shall we try?"

I nodded reluctantly as Hank dragged the remaining target to the opposite wall from Charles. The telepath aimed the gun at the figurine, and I began to ready the surge of fire within me. I took a deep breath before nodding at him. He counted down from three before I heard the loud bang crack through the air. I saw the bullet approaching and reacted as quickly as I could. The sphere of flames I shot at the bullet came a second too late, and the projectile embedded itself deeply in the target's plastic chest.

"Again," I said in determination, to which Charles obliged. To my aggravation, I was always either too late or too early and the bullet was never even close to being licked by the flames.

"We'll try again tomorrow," Charles declared when he noticed my frustrated frown.

"Yeah," I agreed with a sigh before leaving the bunker with Hank. We were passing the recreation room where we found Sean and Raven. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons was blaring from the radio, and our two friends were chatting and cackling animatedly.

"Annie! How'd it go?!" Sean called upon seeing me. I trudged into the room, throwing myself on the sofa between Sean and Raven with a huff.

"As well as can be expected. Melting a moving bullet is very draining," I replied.

"That bad?" Raven asked, smiling in sympathy.

"It could have been worse, Anneliese," Hank reminded me as he shyly took a seat on the other side of Raven. "Charles could have been aiming at you."

"No, that's something only Erik would do," I mused fondly. They all looked taken aback by my comment.

"But aren't you the only person he, well, likes?" Sean asked. "It wouldn't make sense for him to aim a bullet at your head to get you to melt it."

"He's unorthodox, sure, but he can control metal. He would stop it before it got too close to Anne," Hank offered, to which Sean nodded in agreement.

"Have you ever noticed the way he looks at her?" Sean asked.

"You know, I'm sitting right here," I glared at the ginger, who merely gave me a smug smirk. "And he looks at me like he looks at the rest of you."

"I'm positive he doesn't glare at you all the time," he rebuffed. "He gives you the look."

"The look?" I snickered mockingly at Sean's suggestive tone.

"You know, **the** look. He wants to wine, dine, have a good time," Sean explained. Raven giggled before coming to my rescue.

"Alright, we're going to leave before you get anymore ridiculous," the blonde stated and pulled me from the room. As she led me back to my room, she eyed me slyly.

"Sean's right, you know," she sang. "Erik does look at you like you're the best thing to walk the earth."

"He's my friend, Raven," I sighed.

"Do you want more?" she asked gently, pulling me into my room. We sat on the bed and she looked at me with expectant eyes.

"Erik is the only man I've ever really thought about since we parted. I never really considered being involved with him...romantically, but last night..."I trailed off, biting my lip as I realized had had just told a little white lie. I felt guilty for saying this to Raven, because I had thought of another man. One that was kind, with warm blue eyes, and a soft accent.

"What happened!?" Raven nearly shrieked. I explained the entire scenario to Raven, who listened intently whilst holding my hand in her comforting grasp.

"And that made you feel kind of empty, didn't it?" Raven murmured, making me nod sadly.

"When we parted, we were only children, only friends. But we're adults now, and it's impossible not to recognize that. We've both changed."

"That isn't a bad thing, Anne. I think if you take the chance, you could be really happy," the blonde proclaimed, and I felt a smile tug at my lips, but there was something gnawing at my heart as if something was amiss.

"I think that you should march down to his room and talk to him," she gently urged in encouragement.

"But I don't know what I'd say, Raven," I protested, still unsure.

"Maybe, you won't have to say anything at all."

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><p>After leaving Raven, I was at war with myself. I knew that I loved Erik, at least as much as a friend could given our circumstances. I wasn't a romantic like Raven that believed in love at first sight. She would argue that I'd known Erik long enough to fall in love with him, but there was something holding me back. In the back of my mind, a little voice warned me that my heart was going to be broken, that I'd lose Erik. If not by my father's hand, then by some ill work of fate. But there was something there, a mixture of content, safety, and excitement whenever Erik was around me. In my heart, I did believe that Erik was the best thing in my life at the moment, aside from a group of understanding people that I could safely say was more of a family to me than the Hellfire Club ever was.<p>

With a deep breath, I decided to bite the bullet and confront Erik. I assumed he was in his room due to the fact that he'd just finished training as well. I still was unprepared when he immediately pulled open the door to answer my knock. My mind was reeling as I struggle with what to say to him. His blue eyes stared at me with impatience and curiosity, making my heart leap into my throat.

"Um, can we talk?" I asked. He gave a slight nod before opening the door further to allow me to pass. I followed him inside, shutting the door behind me.

"What is it that you wish to talk about, Anneliese?" he inquired, walking over to the briefcase that was opened on his bed.

"Last night," I murmured, looking anywhere but him.

"I was unaware that anything happened to talk about," he replied. My eyes immediately fell upon him, my veins igniting at his aloof demeanor.

"What the hell, Erik? You know as well as I do that there is an elephant in the room. It might just be my imagination, but you've been avoiding me."

"Our paths just haven't crossed today, Anneliese," he reasoned. I felt the temperature in the room rise with my anger, and Erik noticed as well.

"Something is angering you," he remarked as I muttered that he was an asshole.

"I hadn't noticed," I growled sarcastically. "Why the hell did I listen to Raven?"

I turned on my heel, grasping the doorknob to hurry from the room, but Erik took three strides toward me and used his hand to keep the door firmly in place. His other hand placed itself on the small of my back. I pushed down the pleasant feeling of his touch, allowing it to merely full my fire. He hissed as he burned himself, glaring icily at me. I returned it with equal vigor.

"You know, I'm quite surprised that you could attack my father and attempt to lift a submarine, but you couldn't even-" I mashed my lips together in fury, stopping myself.

"Couldn't what?" he spat.

"You couldn't even kiss me!" I shouted at him. "You played with my emotions, made me feel what I've never felt before, and then you just left!"

Erik's eyes flashed dangerously, and he pushed my shoulder against the door, pinning me as he firmly planted a hand on either side of my head.

"I'm not the same boy I used to be, Anneliese," he stated with forced calmness.

"And you think I'm the same little girl?" I asked softly. "Erik, we've both changed, and an annoyingly wise person told me that it isn't a bad thing."

"What do you want from me, Anne?" he sighed, his eyes boring into mine.

"For now? I want for you to not think. Don't think about our past or anything that's happened. In this moment, right here and now, what do I mean to you?"

There was a brief moment that I thought he would turn off his switch again as I'd seen last night, but he remained in front of me, his eyes assessing me. I breathed deeply, waiting for him to react. Erik slowly leaned toward me, his arms folding to lie flat against the door on either side of my head. A sigh slipped from his lips before they were pressed firmly against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, lacing my fingers into his hair. I parted my lips as he deepened the kiss, molding his body against mine. The heat from my previous anger cooled into a warmth that radiated comfortably over us. Erik withdrew to gauge my reaction.

"Don't run. Not from me," I implored. He didn't speak as he pulled me into a tight embrace.


	10. Erik: Character Study

**I am so sorry that it's been such a long time since I've updated! Due to my hectic schedule, I haven't had the time to sit and truly write _Meine Liebe_, even though I have my outline thoroughly polished and glistening. I am so happy to know that all of my readers enjoy _Meine Liebe_****, and I will make time to write if it's the last thing I do. Because I feel like such an asshat, I'm giving you this little mini oneshot to tide you over until Thursday, when I will be updating the actual story. I've actually been thinking about writing this as a side oneshot to explore the thoughts and feelings of Erik and other characters toward Anne as they are at the moment in the story. I hope you enjoy this little insight into how Erik**** feels about her. Again, so sorry for my epic fail as an author! I want to thank Lavinia Black for messaging me and reminding me that there are people still reading _Meine Liebe_**. :) **If you all enjoy this oneshot, let me know and I'll be glad to write more from any requested POV. Think of it as a character study of sorts to help with understanding the characters as I have written them.**

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><p><strong>Erik POV<strong>

The sunlight was soft and warm, illuminating her soft skin as she walked mindlessly through the gardens. A halo of light formed around her hair, bringing out the subtle red hidden within her dark locks. She walked barefoot in the grass despite the morning dew on the manicured lawn not being quite dry yet. It was a habit she'd formed since coming to the manor, and it resulted in a ritual for Erik as well. He'd come to the study every morning with his black coffee, drained from yet another fitful state of dreaming, and he'd sit in the leather chair by the window just to watch her. It was a rather foolish habit, he would admit to himself, but it was one he couldn't bring himself to break. He knew her true face whenever they spoke, something few were able to say they'd witnessed; however, there was another side to Anneliese he could only ever witness during these moments in the study.

She was beautiful. He preferred her as she was now, natural and unkempt. Not that he didn't find her lovely with her face immaculately painted and her hair painstakingly curled, but there was perfection in her mussed hair and untouched skin. But it was a sad beauty as well. There were dark circles under her eyes, telltale of her nightmares and dread of sleep. Anneliese didn't smile on her morning walks, and she always looked deep in thought. Erik remembered when they were younger that she missed walking barefoot on the grass, and he wondered if she ever thought about when they were children, unable to play in the grass and be carefree.

In all her beauty, she reminded him of a bird. She was free and wondrous, someone to cherish and protect. Like Erik, she knew of cages and she'd had her wings clipped before. She was owned and handled by unkind hands, the owner cruel and manipulative. Now that she was free of one cage, he feared that she'd been thrust into another. He didn't trust the humans, and while he believed in Charles, their goals were not one in the same. Erik knew coexisting would never happen, and that Charles was too hopeful for his own good. The humans would turn on them, and that would put Anneliese in danger. She would be caged yet again by those lesser than her.

As he watched Anne stand idle in front of a bed of lilies, he knew what he had to do. He would protect the one thing that remained beautiful to him, even if it turned the world against him. But what he didn't realize was that, were he not careful, he would be the one to cage her.


End file.
